Monster Capsule is a gacha behemoth.

“Monster Capsule” might sound like the name of some cheap Pokémon knockoff, but the capsule being referred to isn’t one meant for carrying creatures around in. No, Monster Capsule is supposed to bring up thoughts of capsule toy/gachapon machines, and the Monster part of the name isn’t because the prizes are beastly in nature, but because the machine itself is gigantic.

Just how big are Monster Capsule machines? Manufacturer Gleeglobe builds them in three different sizes, with the biggest being 3 meters (9.8 feet) tall, as you can see in the scale image below.

Even the most compact Monster Capsule machine is huge, with a height of 2 meters, making it several times larger than a regular capsule toy machine. Because they’re so big, you won’t see long banks of Monster Capsule machines lined up outside random convenience stores. Instead, they show up at special events, and there’s one going on now in downtown Tokyo at the Parco department store in the Ikebukuro neighborhood.

Parco’s Parco Factory event space (on the 7th floor of the Ikebukuro Parco main building) is hosting the 10th anniversary celebration of capsule toy maker Qualia. The event will have merch, photo spots, games, and exclusive capsule toys as the company marks 10 years in the capsule toy world.

Qualia’s lineup includes capsule toy lines such as GhosTee and Wood-Carved Cat Pen Holders, but their most popular is the Niccolino series, which puts simple but distinctive smiley faces on all sorts of everyday objects.

▼ Niccolino onigiri (rice ball), cream soda, octopus sausage, and bread plushies, with little futons to sleep in.

With Niccolino being Qualia’s biggest hit, it’s also going into the big gacha machine, as the Monster Capsule will be stocked with premium Niccolino prizes like T-shirts, tote bags, blankets, pouches, and plushies.

Each play of the Monster Capsule machine is 1,500 yen (US$9.70), and there’s also a 1,000-yen admission fee for the Qualia 10th Anniversary Exhibition itself. The event runs from May 29 to June 22.

Related: Parco Ikebukuro, Qualia 10th Anniversary Exhibition official website
Source: PR Times, Qualia 10th Anniversary Exhibition official website
Top image: PR Times
Insert images: PR Times, Qualia 10th Anniversary Exhibition official website
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We challenge you to find a saltier ramen in Japan.

Once you start diving into the world of Japanese ramen, you’ll find that the waters are deep, with an incredibly diverse array of varieties, and new dishes being created somewhere every day.

A great example of that can be seen at Kuwabara, a ramen restaurant in Tokyo’s Ikebukuro that specialises in “shio soba“, a light, salt-based ramen. The store’s full name is “Shio Soba Specialty Shop Kuwabara” so it prides itself on salty ramen, but according to diners, a dish on the menu called “Ikebukuro White” is off the scale, with diners describing it as “shockingly salty“.

▼ A sign out the front shows customer’s views of the store, with “The soup is salty” in top place, written in red.

The saltiness of the Ikebukuro White is said to be so insane that the restaurant is now trending on social media, with some online commenters describing it as “salty delicious”, “incredibly addictive”, “one of a kind” and “the saltiest salt ramen I’ve ever eaten in my life.”

▼ Needless to say, those comments immediately piqued our interest so we headed out to the store to try the Ikebukuro White.

Ironically, the dish is marked by a black-and-white button on the ticket machine inside, where it’s priced at 1,200 yen (US$7.61). Next to it is a handwritten sign that says, “rapidly gaining popularity”, indicating that this dish really is attracting attention from diners.

After handing our ticket over to staff, we took a seat and a few minutes later our Ikebukuro White arrived. At first glance, it looked like a slightly unorthodox salt ramen, with black pepper and flat noodles, but nothing could prepare us for what we tasted when we took our first sip of the broth.

▼ SALTY!!

The saltiness is so strong it needs to be emphasised in all caps, and although it’s not extreme enough to make you stop eating, it toes the line by erring on the side of tolerable. This really was the saltiest ramen we’d ever had in our life, and in addition to the saltiness, the garlic and black pepper also pack a punch. The firm texture of the flat noodles, cooked perfectly al dente, attempts to soften the flavours, but they remain strong in every mouthful.

▼ Perhaps because of the intense saltiness, we found ourselves finishing the noodles in no time.

One unexpected side effect of the salty broth was it made the water taste incredibly delicious. And yes, we gulped down an entire glass after the meal.

Now that we’ve tried the famed ramen, we challenge anyone to find a saltier broth in Japan. It’s so salty that if you didn’t know its reputation beforehand, you might find yourself wondering if the chef made a mistake with the seasoning.

There’s no mistake here, though, and although the saltiness is incredibly overwhelming, it’s a one-of-a-kind ramen you won’t find anywhere else. So if you’re willing to dive into Japan’s ramen world, this is definitely the deep end, where the broth is delicious, but as salty as the sea.

Restaurant information
Shio Soba Specialty Shop Kuwabara / 塩そば専門店 桑ばら
Address: Tokyo-to, Toshima-ku, Higashi-Ikebukuro 1-27-5
東京都豊島区東池袋1-27-5
Open 11:00 a.m.-8:30 p.m.
Closed irregularly

Photos ©SoraNews24
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