Japan's gachapon vending machines (the name comes from the sound a machine makes: "gacha" when a dial is cranked, and "pon" when the prize drops) dole out brilliantly detailed toys and figures ranging from anime and manga characters to animals and tiny bowls of ramen. Gachapon machines are found all over Japan, but the mother lode is at Akihabara's Gachapon Kaikan where more than 450 machines are lined up inside a warehouse-like space. Blaring rock and J-pop heightens the confusion. It's like playing the slots at a run-down otaku casino, but at ¥100-¥500 a pop (around 80p-£4), you can afford to lose a bit until you score a prize you really want.