Tomica

Tomica’s small cars are classical toys in Japan that are still very popular among children, especially boys. Marketed since the 1970s by Takara Tomy, they are realistic replicas of vehicles that are used daily in Japan, from the individual car 🚙 to the public transport vehicle, such as:

• The famous compact urban cars called Keijidosha or Kei Car;
• Models of local automakers: Nissan, Toyota, Honda, Suzuki, Mitsubishi, Mazda, etc.;
• Japanese police cars, firetrucks, Japanese Post vehicles; as well as,
• Ambulances, construction equipment, trucks; and,
• Taxis, city buses and a few motorcycles.

Western amateurs of Majorette and Hot Wheels traveling to Japan will discover another side of the miniature vehicles’ world mostly ruled par Tomica, whose name is a portmanteau word for Takara Tomy’s "Tomy" and "car."

Takara Tomy, the founding company

Based in Tokyo’s Katsushika ward, Japanese company Takara Tomy was born in 2006, from the fusion of companies Takara and Tomiyama Toy Seisakusho, founded on February 2, 1924 by Eiichiro Toyama (1903 – 1978). The latter started with the making of miniature planes ✈️ and diversified its products range to include toys, tabletop games and other entertainment for children. Simply named "Tomy," the international branch is selling among others the Pop-Up Pirate game, Pokémon figures and Beyblade tops.

In 1970, the 1rst Tomica toy cars are released on the Japanese market and meet a quick success, that is due, among other things, to:

• Their sturdiness, as they are made with high quality die-cast metal;
• The high level of details, such as openable doors, trunk and hood for a realistic playtime;
• Their convenient size suitable for a child’s hand, namely the size of 3 inches that is to say about 7,62 cm. It is the same size as the Majorette cars sold in Europe.

Their current packaging, a red and white cardboard box, numbered and illustrated with the image of the vehicle inside, has been in use since 1984.

Takara Tomy is marketing various Tomica series with a permanent turnover of models. Every month, new products are released, replacing the older ones that become vintage and enter the second-hand market. This commercial strategy is working both with children who are looking for new cars and for passionate adults who are never tired of making their collection grow.

There are 3 main ranges of products:

• The permanent collection of 150 models, including 120 ordinary cars and 30 longer vehicles. As of March 2025, the official prices of the miniature cars amount from ¥594 (~US$3.78) to ¥1,100 (~US$6.99) per unit;
• Dream Tomica (ドリームトミカ) is the series dedicated to vehicles of licensed characters, such as Disney’s Cars, Mickey, Hello Kitty, Demon Slayer, Nintendo’s Mario Kart, Ghibli, etc.;
• Tomica Premium (トミカプレミアム) refers to luxury and sport cars, designed by famous automakers such as Ferrari, Lamborghini, Porsche, Aston Martin, etc. There is also a range of vehicles from the most popular movies, TV shows and anime. They come in a black box and have been released since March 2025 with prices starting from ¥990 (~US$6.29) per car.

Other series complement this baseline, such as car transporter trucks and various accessories to build an entire city for the miniatures. The cars are also available as packs including several models.

Where to buy Tomica in Japan?

There are currently only 3 Tomica official shops in Japan, called Tomica Shop (トミカショップ):

• At Tokyo Station, in the First Avenue - Character Street shopping arcade;
• At the foot of the Tokyo Skytree, in Solamachi shopping mall, 3F floor; and,
• In Osaka, in the Daimaru Umeda department store, 13F floor.

Note that these shops are often paired with Takara Tomy’s Plairail brand, dedicated to miniature trains: little electric trains, Shinkansen 🚅 replicas, railtracks to assemble, etc.

It is quite easy to find Tomica products all over Japan, in the many stores that have a toy car aisle, such as:

• Toys shops, such as Kiddy Land, Joshin Super Kids Land and Toys "R" Us;
• Aeon, Apita and Piago shopping malls, that also sometimes market their own exclusive Tomica models;
• Large electronic stores chains such as Yodobashi, Bic Camera or Yamada Denki;
• Don Quijote (Donki) shops that usually have the best prices;
• Large second-hand stores such as Mandarake, Book Off, Surugaya;
• Souvenir shops at theme parks 🎡 exploiting the same licenses as the Dream Tomica line, for example in Disney Sea or Super Nintendo World;
• Souvenir shops in car museums in Japan, like at the Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology in Nagoya; and,
• Some konbini (Lawson).

In the land of the kawaii and collectors, Tomica toy cars make typical souvenirs to bring back from Japan, as they are affordable and convenient to carry.