Inside Akihabara’s Street Market for Crane Game Prizes: The Truth Behind the Unusual Figure Trade

The Mysterious Figure Seller Who Appears in Akihabara

Akihabara, one of Tokyo’s major tourist destinations, is bustling with visitors from Japan and abroad. There is a mysterious man who occasionally appears out of nowhere on its streets and sells figures. Apparently, he is well known among Akihabara enthusiasts, and he is reportedly often seen talking with police officers who arrive after receiving reports about him.

What sets this man apart from ordinary street vendors is that he sells figures that are prizes from arcade crane games. Since he handles a considerable number of items, he reportedly loads them onto large carts and pulls them along the streets as he sells them. What kind of person is he, and where does he obtain these prizes? We went to the area and attempted to interview him directly.

The times and dates when he appears vary, but most sightings are reported from late afternoon through the evening. He is said to show up around Chuo-dori, not far from the Electric Town Exit of JR Akihabara Station. After visiting the area several times, we spotted a blond young man pulling two large carts.

He appeared to be in his early twenties and seemed to be Japanese. He was holding a sketchbook with “1990 yen” written on it and casually looking at his smartphone, seemingly with time to spare. He was not calling out to attract customers.

He used two carts to transport the figures. One was made by attaching a wheeled platform to the bottom of a giant tote bag and securing it with duct tape. The other appeared to be a large cart typically used for camping equipment.

Both carts had LED lights and boards attached, suggesting that they had been customized for street vending.

The young man did not remain in one place for long, moving approximately 10 to 20 meters every 10 to 15 minutes. During the roughly one hour the writer observed him, three groups of customers approached and browsed his figures. Perhaps his business was doing well.

When the writer approached him, he responded in a friendly manner, asking, “Are you into anime?”

“How about this one? These are figures from Naruto and Bleach, and they’re all 1,990 yen. I used to sell them for 2,800 yen, but now I’m selling them cheaper.”

It is unclear whether the prices are actually lower than the market rate. He may deliberately display reduced prices to attract customers. When explaining the prices to a foreign tourist browsing the figures beside the writer, he pointed to individual items and said, “1,500 yen, 5,500 yen, 1,500 yen.” This raises the possibility that he adjusts his prices depending on the customer.

Still, where does he obtain such a large number of figures? Are they prizes from crane games? When asked, the young man answered clearly, “That’s right.”

“I can’t say exactly where, but I get them from arcades outside Akihabara and sell them here. I’m good at winning figures at arcades, so I started doing this because I thought I might be able to make some money from it. But I’m not making that much profit. Foreign customers often buy them.”

According to the young man, he wins the figures at arcades for less than the prices he sells them for. When the writer remarked, “You’re pretty good at those games,” the young man seemed a little embarrassed and replied, “Thank you. I’m a little good at them.”

We spoke with an entertainment writer who said, “I’ve bought a figure from him before.”

“I approached him about six months ago and bought a figure. When I asked how much he was making, he said, ‘Around 15,000 to 20,000 yen a day.’ He was selling the figures for around 2,000 yen back then, so the prices haven’t changed from what they are now. I remember that when I kept asking him all sorts of probing questions, he became irritated.”

Are the authorities aware of him? When asked, a representative of the Chiyoda Ward Safety and Livelihood Division said, “We have been aware of him since around the spring of 2025,” explaining, “We have received complaints from the ward and have warned him, but he has shown absolutely no signs of listening or stopping the activity in question.”

“Selling figures and other items on the street under the guise of peddling, or mobile vending, and moving to another location when warned may constitute an attempt to circumvent the Road Traffic Act and the Road Act. We consider this unacceptable from both the perspectives of pedestrian safety and the urban environment.

We are sharing information obtained through patrols by contracted security personnel, along with the complaints we have received, with Manseibashi Police Station, the authority responsible for traffic management. Going forward, we will continue working closely with the police, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, which has jurisdiction over Chuo-dori, and local neighborhood associations and shopping district representatives to consider more effective measures.”

The representative added that this type of street vending requires a permit.

“Under the Road Traffic Act, setting up a street stall at a designated location requires a road-use permit issued by the chief of the police station with jurisdiction. Mobile vending is not covered by this permit requirement, and the individual claims that he is ‘always moving from place to place while selling.’ However, in practice, he remains in one location while selling goods, and we believe there is a risk that this may be an attempt to circumvent the Road Traffic Act.” (Same source)

When asked, Manseibashi Police Station said it frequently receives complaints about the individual selling goods on the street and that no road-use permits have been issued for Chuo-dori.

The identity of the mysterious figure seller who appears on the streets of Akihabara turned out to be a young man selling crane game prizes that he had won himself.

However, unauthorized street vending may violate the Road Traffic Act or the Road Act, and both the police and the ward authorities were already aware of his activities. The profits he earns through ongoing resale may also be subject to income tax and resident tax. It remains highly uncertain how much longer he will be able to continue his business.