Japanese Collectibles Anpanman’s Cheese Dog, Cast in Metal by Banpresto in 1992
A 1992 Banpresto brass-toned metal token featuring Cheese, the dog character from Sore Ike! Anpanman, with series code A-014 stamped on the face.
Japanese Collectibles 
Japanese Culture What Is Hello Kitty? A Collector’s Guide to Japan’s Most Iconic Character and Why Rare Pieces Are Worth Real Money
Picture a small white cat face — no mouth, a tiny nose, a red bow on the left ear, and an expression you get to fill in yourself. That is Hello Kitty, and in fifty years she has gone from...
Japanese Collectibles Haxorus Mezastar, a Dragon Tag From Japan’s Arcade Scene
A four-star Mezastar arcade tag featuring Haxorus, the Generation 5 Dragon-type Pokemon, made by TAKARA TOMY A.R.T.S. for Japan's arcade game centers.
Japanese Collectibles Your Guide to Furuta’s Charlie Brown Choco Egg Figure
Furuta's 2022 Japan-exclusive Peanuts Choco Egg includes a chibi-style Charlie Brown mini figure rooted in Japan's blind-box food toy tradition.
Japanese Collectibles Yoshitsune Minamoto and the Menko Card Tradition He Inspired
A round menko card featuring Yoshitsune Minamoto, Japan's most storied samurai commander, from the card-slapping game tradition unique to Showa-era Japan.
Japanese Collectibles How Dokkiri Man Menko Captured Three 1980s Fandoms
A late-1980s Japanese menko card, Dokkiri Man parodies the Bikkuriman sticker boom while referencing idol group Onyanko Club and its cat-themed world.
Japanese Collectibles Inside the Amada Menko Card From Super Mario’s Launch Year
A 1985 Amada menko card from Super Mario Bros.' launch year, carrying Nintendo's official license and six characters from the original Famicom game.
Japanese Collectibles Why G3-X Is Kamen Rider Agito’s Most Distinctive Suit
G3-X is the police-developed power suit from Kamen Rider Agito, and this 2004 Seven-Eleven Japan bottle cap figure captures its unmistakable armored design.
Japanese Collectibles Gintama’s Kondo Isao and the Cup-Rim Figure Craze
Kondo Isao is Gintama's Shinsengumi commander and comic relief. This Megahouse Ochatomo Series figure is designed to hang from the rim of any cup.
Japanese Collectibles Yu-Gi-Oh Had a Card Game Before Konami Made One
In 1998, Bandai released Yu-Gi-Oh trading cards under the Carddass brand — before Konami's OCG. This No.15 features Thousand Dragon from the Toei anime.