Right now in Japan, everyone is on vacation.

Technically speaking, not everyone, but when I went out on Sunday with my S.O. in the hopes of getting in some all you can eat cake action, it certainly seemed like it.

While we didn’t get to eat cake (in fact, we ended up eating lunch at TGIF, which is very much not Japanese), since we were in the area, we made our usual rounds of the local Game Centers to check out the stock and see if there was anything worth winning.

Prize merch for Rascal the Raccoon has suddenly popped up out of nowhere. A week or so ago, these pass cases along with plush pencil pouches came out everywhere. The pouches are gone, but the pass cases remain! Not only are they cute, but they are also a mini pouch, perfect for holding coins.

These mini plush came out last Thursday and are also super adorable. The size of the plush can make them tricky to get, though, depending on the strength of the claw and the height of the shield (the plush barrier at the bottom that makes it harder for you to win!)

These cute and tiny Kero-chan and Suppi mascot plush have been circulating the game centers for maybe two weeks or so. They are pretty easy to win!

These stylized Sakura plush have also been circulating game centers for about the same amount of time as the mini mascot plush. There are two sizes – normal plush size…

… and giant size. This set up was maybe the easiest I saw for this type of giant plush. Usually, plush are large and round, which means when you push them down in this set-up, they get stuck on the head or body part, but with this slim shape, I think you could easily push it down and win in under 1000 yen.

A lot of tsum tsum related merchandise has come out recently, due to the popularity of the mobile game, and the game centers have started to get infected with merch as well. This machine had tsum tsum themed socks. Another machine had cups, and another had different types of keychains.

Not tsum tsum but still adorable, these plush can be both easy to win and also deceptively not easy, depending on which plush you are going for.

Japan loves Baymax, and there is a ton of Baymax merch in claw machines. This is my favorite of the available plush because it’s the perfect small size to always be with you… and I will never win it because I hate this machine. The claw is just strong enough to lift the plush but the barrier is tilted up, which means if the plush is not at the right angle, it will just slide back into the plush pile forever.

These Stitch plush are especially adorable! Another random Round 1 prize where you have to push the plush down into the winning pit.

And moving on to some random assortments… there seems to be a severe lack of Poogie plush and figures lately, so every time I see a new Poogie plush, I am happy. This one is not only large but also very fluffy! I approve!

I love the Rilakkuma as a cat series. There are large plush, towels, plush cases, and many other prizes, but they’re all equally adorable.

It is not a claw machine expedition without Amuse plush appearing somewhere! This dog series is relatively new and also adorable.

On a parting note, it’s officially Tuesday in Japan, which means 2 more days until the next batch of I Love Eevee mascot plush are released! I’m just happy that this time, plush and something else don’t come out on the same day. Just plush is enough!