Japan's capsule toys getting pricier as new market pops up

TOKYO -- Toys and figurines from vending machines, packaged in plastic capsules and known as gacha gacha in Japan, have become costlier in the country, with the average price up 15% from two years ago.

With some well-crafted animal figurines going for as much as 2,000 yen ($14), more young women on social media are sharing their surprise at scoring unexpected gems from the machines. Now, to attract an increasingly diverse range of gacha gacha buyers, companies have been trying to come up with different types of toys.