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Yoshinoya beef bowl set vs. its mini capsule toy version: how do they size up next to each other?

Oona McGee Oct 10, 2021
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We take our gacha toys to a real branch of Yoshinoya to compare the two side-by-side.

Just last month, Japanese beef bowl restaurant chain Yoshinoya released a lineup of miniatures in conjunction with capsule toy manufacturer Kenelephant.

Each item in the six-piece collection looked just like the food from Yoshinoya, only in teeny tiny form, so we tracked them down when they were released to see if they looked as good in person as they did in the promo images.

▼ The capsule toys are priced at 500 yen (US$4.47) each.

We tried our luck by turning the handle on the gacha machine three times, and the first thing that popped out for us was the Yoshinoya At Home set.

Included in the set was a Frozen Beef Bowl, Frozen Pork Bowl, and Kimchi, and they were beautifully detailed, looking just like the packs you can take home from the chain.

▼ Popping the lid on the kimchi made us squeal with delight at its cuteness!

On the back of the frozen product packs, you could see the ingredients and heating instructions were all faithfully replicated, and they were just readable to the human eye, despite the tiny print.

As an added bonus, each set comes with a pamphlet detailing the history of the company, which has been in business since 1902.

Opening the next gacha revealed the Takeout Set, which included a tiny beef bowl that needed some assembly.

As we popped the rice into the bowl, added the topping and placed the lid on top, we felt like we were working at a tiny branch of Yoshinoya. Everything here was incredibly impressive, from the disposable chopsticks, through to the ginger and shichimi (“seven spice”) sachets, and when we sat back to admire it all, we began to develop a serious craving for a real-life beef bowl.

▼ That’s when we opened our third gacha to reveal…

▼ The Gyudon beef bowl (with pickles and raw egg)!

Yoshinoya’s signature beef bowl set is the star of the gacha collection, so we were thrilled to receive it. Like the takeout version, the rice and topping came separately, and the raw egg was also separate, so we popped those into the bowls and gasped in awe at the tiny realism that lay before us.

Our stomachs were really growling now, so we popped the mini beef bowl set into one pocket and headed off to Yoshinoya so we could really judge the quality of the tiny recreation. As soon as we received our order, we couldn’t help but laugh out loud as we set the mini beef bowl set next to the real-life version.

▼ How cute is this?!?

▼ The gacha set may have been tiny, but its realism was truly breathtaking.

▼ The egg, in its square bowl, looked just like the real thing.

And the pickles on their blue plate were even more realistic, with the dark colour of the glaze on the edges of the dish perfectly replicating the one beneath the real food.

▼ As for the beef bowl…

…here, it was the bowl itself that blew our minds, as it looked identical to the real one, which was made from Arita porcelain.

▼ Absolutely amazing!

And take a look at those chopsticks — complete with a matte, grainy finish to look just like the real deal.

We thought the miniature Yoshinoya collection looked good when we first laid eyes on it, but we were absolutely blown away by the realism when we sized the beef bowl set up against the real thing, side-by-side.

Now we just have to get our hands on the Grilled Fish Set Meal and the Cold Sake / Pickled Ginger. Plus, it’d be great if we could snare that ‘Lucky Item’, the teacup, to complete the collection!

This is definitely a quality collection that you won’t regret buying, especially if you’re a fan of Yoshinoya beef bowls. The collection is currently available to purchase from capsule toy machines for 500 yen, and toy stores, general stores, online shops, and hobby shops, where they’re sold in blind boxes for 550 yen.

For more tiny food adventures, don’t forget to check out these miniature tamagokake gohan rice bowls that light up, and take a look at the tiny Ozeki sake collection, which is just as adorable as its real-life range as well!

Related: Kenelephant
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