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The Yomiuri Shimbun The 2023 International Tokyo Toy Show started Thursday at Tokyo Big Sight in the Koto Ward of Tokyo.
Jiji Press
14:36 JST, June 8, 2023
Tokyo, June 8 (Jiji Press)—The 2023 International Tokyo Toy Show, one of the largest toy trade fairs in Japan, opened at the Tokyo Big Sight convention center Thursday.
The trade fair, which runs through Sunday, will admit the general public for the first time in four years. It will be open to the public on the last two days, while the first two days are reserved for business-related visitors.
The event features some 35,000 toy items from about 150 Japanese and foreign companies. Goods on display include long-selling toys that have evolved with digital technology, as well as new types of toys.
Bandai Co. unveiled the “Tamagotchi Uni,” the latest in the Tamagotchi series of games where players raise characters, first released in 1996.
The game, which will hit the market in 35 economies worldwide next month, is the first in the series to be equipped with Wi-Fi functions, enabling players to have their characters interact with other players’ in a virtual space.
The trade fair also features a similar virtual pet game by Tomy Co., also known as Takara Tomy. Named “Tobidase! Cubits,” the box-shaped game displays a character when it is opened, which can be touched.
Some exhibits are aimed at adults. Takara Tomy’s booth also includes the 3100 series NSE model of the Odakyu Romancecar train under its Plarail train toy series. The 3100 series NSE is an old train model no longer in service.
Bandai targets people in their 40s and older with the “Kinnikuman Die-Cast Kinkeshi,” small high-end dolls based on the “Kinkeshi” character-shaped erasers that were highly popular in the past.
MegaHouse Corp. exhibits a product that puts a spin on the classic Rubik’s Cube.
General admission to the trade show is free for visitors up to elementary school age and priced at ¥1,500 for those in junior high school and older.
Organizers hope to see 70,000 visitors during the two-day period open to the public.
The Japanese toy market grew 6.7 pct from the year before to a record high of ¥952.5 billion in fiscal 2022, according to the Japan Toy Association, which organizes the event.
