Japan has a long, proud history of making toys. The Bandai Museum in the rice fields of Tochigi Prefecture catalogues the amazing playthings the country has produced over the years. Can't make it out to sleepy town of Mibu to check out the museum? No worries, Kotaku's got you covered.
Kotaku reader Bakagaijin visited the museum yesterday, camera in tow, and he sent along a slew of photos.
Throughout the years, one company continues to occupy the forefront of toys, and that company is Bandai. The company was founded in 1950. Toy companies were one way that Japan tried to rebuild after World War Two, and machines and raw materials intended for military use were refitted for toy production.
The company has character rights for iconic franchises like Ultraman, Gundam, and Kamen Rider—and the museum has those heroes in spades.
But the museum also displays a range of retro toys, some produced by Bandai, some not.
There are also hit Bandai gadgets like Tamagotchi, which exploded with popularity in Japan during the 1990s as well as Bandai's ventures into gaming—such as the plug-and-play units, the Family Fun Fitness System for the Famicom console, the ill-fated Pippin, and the Wonderswan.
Bandai also made a whole host of gaming related goodies. But for those readers who are in their late 20s and 30s, the Voltron and Mazinger Z toys will be a trip down memory lane.
Check out more photos on Bakagaijin's Flickr stream. And those who are interested in visited the Bandai Museum firsthand, directions are on the museum's Facebook page.
To see the larger pics in all their glory, either click the "expand" icon on the gallery screen or right click and "open link in new tab".
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You can contact Brian Ashcraft, the author of this post, at bashcraft@kotaku.com. You can also find him on Twitter, Facebook, and lurking around our #tips page.