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This month, We are going to show off some new Japanese toys. The place we covered was the “Tokyo Toy Show,” held from August 27 to 30 at Tokyo Big Sight in Koto Ward, Tokyo. This event is split into two parts: the first two days are business days for retail stores and wholesalers that deal with toys, and the later days are open to the public to showcase products to consumers.
We looked for new products at the venue that match the current high demand and picked out six items. Right now, there tends to be a higher demand for toys for women（girls）, so there are 2 items for men（boys） and 4 items for women（girls）. Targeting that high demand, Asian companies are bringing plush toys and squishies and are going to push into the Japanese market—this is how the market is expected to move from now on. Even at this venue, the vibrant of the companies that came from overseas stood out. Readers, please get a sense here of the features of Japanese products that can compete with overseas ones.
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～The ending of the story depends on the player！ The new developments Gundam’s starting of next year～
BANDAI SPIRITS shared information about a new Gundam project scheduled to start in 2027 with Gunpla fans around the world from the event venue.
The name of the new project is the “RG Project”. It’s a two-stage format that combines the game releasing on March 5th with an anime planned for next year. This time, we decided to tell the starting story through an anime, and then present the setting 100 years later in a game, leaving it up to the players to ending of the story.
The next Gundam has been decided to be in a media mix format. Bandai will releases HG-brand Gunpla and other products to match the timing of game releases and the start of anime. By adopting a media mix approach, stores selling the product can also hope to reach new customer groups.
Bandai’s card division
～The excitement is happening worldwide at the same time！ Card game with the latest anime designs～
Bandai’s card division released a new ONE PIECE card game product for card game fans on August 22.
The theme of the new product is ‘The World’s Strongest Warrior,’ tied in with the latest TV anime. The special cards feature designs like the Straw Hat crew in their Landing on Elbaph outfits and members of the Four Emperors’ pirate crews.
This time, the card releases in each language version were scheduled at the same time as the Japanese version. They say sales are booming worldwide at the same time because of its effect. The English version is service areas North America, Latin America, Europe, Oceania, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Taiwan, so we can also expect purchases from travelers coming from these countries.
Sharp
～A cool type makes an appearance！ Interactive friend AI robot～
Sharp Corporation will release the second version of its interactive AI robot that sticks close to its owner, themed around meerkats, targeting women in December.
The second release is a cool type ‘Poketomo’ in gray, with a bit of sass and a light edge in its conversations (open price. The suggested retail price including tax is 49,500 yen). This time, they made the AI robot’s personality like a middle or high schooler who overreacts to being called cute.
The first product sold over 10,000 units in about eight months since its release. Since this July, they started selling in Taiwan and also began working on releasing an English version. Sharp is setting up an environment to capture overseas and inbound demand, aiming for a big increase in total sales.
Kenko Tokina
～You can also target inbound consumption！ A small, high-performance, and cheap digital camera～
Kenko Tokina Co., Ltd. released a toy camera that can take photos with a retro feel and videos (with sound) aimed at women who like photography.
That’s a digital camera called ‘Pieni M‘ with external dimensions of 63mm wide and 36mm high (open price, reference retail price including tax is 7,920 yen). There’s also an ultra-compact type with no LCD monitor on the back and a width of 51 millimeters.
The renewed demand for digital cameras among young women is starting to spread overseas too. Kenko Tokina aimed to capture that demand and launched this digital camera at a price under 10,000 yen. For inbound consumption, They releasing stuff with Sanrio and Disney characters on it.
Bushiroad
～Features a hat and overalls！ A plushie to attach to your bag～
Bushiroad Inc. is releasing new products from several plush toy series, which were created with overseas demand in mind, targeting women both in Japan and abroad.
Among them, ‘Tekutomo‘ (990 yen including tax per piece) is a series that puts knit hats and overalls on anime characters. The first ones they’ll be releasing in the series in January ’27 are Attack on Titan and Bocchi the Rock! plushies in blind boxes.
This small plush toy comes with a carabiner you can attach to your bag. They revealed that this series was developed with the trend of bag charms overseas in mind. You could say it’s a product that helps attract inbound spending at the shop.
Maruka
～It’s easy and cheap！ Keychain Making Kit～
Maruka corporation will release a kit product in September this year that lets you make original plate type keychains, aimed at women.
It’s the ‘Kira Gem Acrylic Keychain Kit‘ (770 yen including tax), where you use the included pen to stick sparkly decoration parts onto an acrylic board shaped like a character to complete it. When the series kicks off, four types of Sanrio characters will appear.
This keychain making kit is easy to make and inexpensive, so parents and kids can try it together. Bag keychains have become a global fashion trend, so they are at the heart of inbound consumption. This is the item that corresponds to that.
