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Japan’s Resurgent Toy Market: The 2015 International Tokyo Toy Show
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Figures from the Japan Toy Association make it clear that toys are a booming business in Japan once again. In a particularly bright segment of the market, sales of character toys for boys surged 78.6% to ¥79.9 billion in fiscal 2014, led by sales of toys related to Bandai’s Yo-Kai Watch series. Also robust were sales of hobby-craft items for young girls and sales of analog products based on traditional Japanese toys.
Toy Sales in Japan (¥ billion, fiscal years from April 1 to March 31)
2005 | 705.3 | 2010 | 669.4 |
2006 | 651.3 | 2011 | 690.4 |
2007 | 672.0 | 2012 | 671.6 |
2008 | 655.3 | 2013 | 675.8 |
2009 | 647.4 | 2014 | 736.7 |
Source: Japan Toy Association
The Yo-Kai Watch Phenomenon
Bandai’s DX Yo-Kai Watch Type Zero; MSRP ¥3,360, tax included.
Bandai’s Yo-Kai Watch series of toys, which builds on the storyline of a video game from the developer Level-5, has taken Japan by storm since its launch in 2013. The toys have inspired cartoons, comic books, and even movies. Headlining the product family is the DX Yo-Kai Watch Type Zero. Bandai has sold some 3.5 million units of this product, which can be programmed with a large and growing array of insertable medals. The DX Yo-Kai Watch Type Zero received the award for the best-selling product of the past year at the International Tokyo Toy Show 2015.
The Yo-Kai Watch narrative begins with an encounter between the hero, Keita, and a ghost (yōkai), Whisper. Keita is hunting insects when he happens upon a dispenser of toy-containing capsules at the base of a tree. Opening one of the capsules, he inadvertently liberates Whisper, who was confined inside. The grateful Whisper presents Keita with a watch that enables the boy to see into the world of ghosts and other mysterious spirits. Keita befriends one spirit after another and draws on their powers to solve problems encountered by his fellow villagers.
Bandai’s extensive line of medals for the Yo-Kai Watches enables users to summon different spirits and to add and mix spirit characteristics. The merchandising is an impressive combination of spirit-world fantasy and tech-trinket reality.
A Problem with Video Games
Since the toy market as defined and monitored by the JTA includes video game consoles as well as conventional toys, weakness at Nintendo, and in the video game sector in general, has undermined Japanese toy sales in recent years. Sales have also suffered from Japan’s low birthrate and the consequent decline in the number of children.
Japan’s toymakers are taking heart at the recent upturn in toy sales, which has been evident from the heightened energy level at the past two installments of the International Tokyo Toy Show. The 2014 show drew 157 exhibitors, including 25 foreign companies, and attracted more than 160,000 visitors. Early returns suggest an even larger turnout for the 2015 show, held on June 18–21 this year.
Beaming representatives of manufacturers awarded prizes at the International Tokyo Toy Show 2015 (June 18, 2015; Tokyo Big Sight).
Bandai’s Gundam series of plastic models, which debuted in 1980, received special recognition at the 2015 show, being awarded by the organizers for its long-lived, global popularity. Consumers in Japan and worldwide have purchased some 445 million Gundam models over the past 35 years.
Special recognition at the toy show for Gundam models.
The product awards at the ITTS, which invite consumer attention to outstanding products, include seven category-specific prizes, listed below.
Best-in-Category Award Winners at ITTS 2015
Category | Product and manufacturer |
---|---|
General | Color-sensing pen for applications with Apple and Android tablets, Takara Tomy |
Educational | Interactive mat for developing mental and physical skills in young children, JoyPalette |
Boys | Mechanical baseball game, Epoch |
Girls | Jewel Watch, Sega Toys |
Communication | Himitsu no Kuma-chan (talking teddy bear), T-Arts |
Innovation | Linear Liner L0 Series (magnetic-levitation train set), Takara Tomy |
“High target” (adult) | Nano Falcon DigiCam (camera-equipped, ultrasmall, remote-controlled helicopter), CCP |
Related Tags
Nintendo toys International Tokyo Toy Show Yo-Kai Watch Frozen home video games Gundam plastic models Takara Tomy Sega Toys Bandai