TOKYO - A tiny replica of an ancient Egyptian sarcophagus and a plastic cat squatting on sushi: Just two of the weird-and-wonderful capsule toys that have become a multi-million-dollar craze in cute-obsessed Japan.

The industry is now worth an estimated 30 billion yen ($265 million), with the fastidious attention to detail in the toys appealing to the Japanese sense of precision along with a well-documented love of all things "kawaii" or cute.

One store, in Tokyo's famous Akihabara electronics district, is crammed with around 500 capsule toy vending machines stretching out as far as the eye can see.

"When I see something I want, I keep on turning the crank until I get it," said Shota Makita, a 23-year-old careworker on the hunt for a fun toy.

"There's a sense of excitement about not knowing what I'll get," said Makita, one of a growing number of adult consumers of capsule toys, known as "gachagacha" or "gachapon" in Japanese after the cranking sound.

Store manager Yo Kono says the customer base has changed in the 16 years the shop has been open.

"At the beginning, visitors were mainly male anime fans... but recently the number of customers is growing with more female visitors and foreign tourists," Kono said.

Capsule toys have been around for more than 40 years but the craze really took off in 2012 when Tokyo-based manufacturer Kitan Club launched its "Koppu no Fuchico" ("Fuchico at the edge of a glass") product.

This figurine of a woman wearing a typical office worker's clothes, whose arms or legs were designed to hang over the edge of a glass, became an instant hit with adults.

"We never thought of targeting children. Their numbers are dwindling and adults have more money," said spokesman Seita Shiki.

Shiki chalks up the Fuchico capsule's success to the fact it is "cheap and Instagram-worthy." - AFP