This October, one of “Junx” vintage toy event was held at Kanayama station’s Arsenal event space in Nagoya, Japan. Open to a host of collectors, traders, and sellers, the vintage toy event was packed with a variety of vinyl figures and nostalgic goods ranging from the late 1970′s to the early 1990′s. Mostly consisting of American collectibles, a plethora of well-known but often forgotten characters brought an eager smile to the inner child in each visitor.
The event’s history is well-grounded throughout Japan with collector’s clubs traveling from all over the country to take part. Live DJ’s joined the stage with a variety of artists painting on large canvases, helping to set the creative mood with complementary imagery. Most of the collectors make a yearly mecca to the States to get up to speed on recent trends and new collectibles, bringing back the most coveted goods to the “Island of the Rising Sun”.
Speaking to the hosts of the event, it was clear that American culture continues to have a huge impact in the world of vinyl toy collecting in Japan. The spirit of “Americana” was alive and well as eager patrons dove into tubs full of objects from the obscurest McDonald’s Happy Meal Toy to the well-known Rat Fink collectible. Contently walking away with a handful of childhood memories and a lighter wallet.
