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At this point, it's getting harder and harder to find something that isn't sold in a gachapon, Japan's blind-buy capsule toy machines. Walking up to a machine, you can find just about anything you can imagine (or couldn't begin to imagine) covered, including living bread with legs, Denny's menu items, and sexy wasabi and ginger erasers.
In recent years we've seen these machines offer things that aren't even toys, such as discounted stays at luxury hotels and fancy dinners.
The surprising capsule toy machine that Twitter user Pitapan (@pitapan2525) stumbled upon that has become the talk of the net definitely falls into the non-toy category. Right next to each other, Pitapan found capsule toy machines that sell handwritten "Mom's Secret Curry" recipes and "Trivia You Don't Give a Damn About from Grandpas":
Source: @pitapan2525
Source: @pitapan2525
The notes, each one by one written by hand by a mom or grandpa, are pretty much what they say they are. Family secret recipes of curry (examples advertised are the Yamada family's corned beef curry and the Kato family's deep fried potato curry), and notes of useless or frivolous trivia from a grandpa.
Excited, Pitapan gave the useless advice from old men capsule toy machine a whirl, and received a handwritten note providing several bits of insignificant trivia including how edamame grow into soy beans, how oil tankers carry seawater when not carrying oil, how Japan is the only place where burdock root is regularly eaten, and the rice crackers found in ochazuke (a Japanese dish made by pouring green tea or dashi over rice) are used in place of a drying agent.
The grandpa even signs the note with "I mean, even if you don't know this is won't be a problem."
Source: @pitapan2525
Curious about the very particular capsule "toys", we got in touch with Masa Saikou, the creative team behind both. Masa Saikou says the idea behind the handwritten curry recipes comes from the beginning of the pandemic. Team members who were unable to return to their hometowns began reminiscing about the food they missed from home, and they got to realizing how unique each household's curry was.
For the grandpa trivia series, they began hearing on television about how aspects of Japan's Showa Era were now becoming popular with young people, but felt that the older people who created those aspects weren't being appreciated as much--so they decided to give them a voice to spread some warmth and humor during trying times!
Both series have been a big hit, with over 100,000 letters sold. In response to Pitapan's Twitter post, many left replies clamoring for them and hoping to get some for themselves as well. Perhaps the trivia isn't so useless after all.