Japan To Push Out New Line Of Cashless Pipit Gashapon Machines This Summer

Hailing from Japan, the beloved Gashapon toys we’d collect in our childhood has come a long way since. I remember holding on tightly to my dad’s loose change when I was younger, keeping en eye out for any machines we’d pass along the way. In an effort to keep up with the times, these machines now come upgraded, with Japan’s first line of cashless Pipit Gashapon machines set to be released this summer.

What started out as selling collectable figurines for children has branched out into many other trinkets you can purchase with a turn of the wheel. If it can fit into the tiny capsule, someone out there’s surely selling it.

Developed by the Tech Gasha Institute, this new line of machines, Pipit Gasha, will make use of an internal QR code reader and a 4G network connection to scan a QR code on the user’s smartphone for payment. Upon approval of the transaction, the user will then be able to turn the handle to spin out his prize.

This comes as a surprise because Japan is still largely a cash-based society, and part of the appeal in these machines lies in physically plonking in the coins to load up the machine. But with cashless payment apps such as PayPay and LINE Pay gaining popularity in the land of the rising sun, it serves as a testament to the society’s slow but sure shift towards going cashless.

Looks like in future, we will no longer have to worry about exchanging our notes to get the correct number of coins for a go at the Pipit Gasha machine—all we’ll need is our smartphones and the QR codes for a fuss-free playtime.

Date: Summer 2020 
Price: To be confirmed

Pipit Gasha Machine | Website