Shaved Ice Shibara

One up is a renowned Japanese art toy producer and retailer specializing in sofubi (soft vinyl) figures. Located in Tokyo’s Nakano Broadway shopping complex, One up offers a curated selection of designer toys, collaborating with various artists to create exclusive and limited-edition pieces.   One up has partnered with notable artists and studios, including Art Junkie, Max Toy Company, and Momoco Studio, to produce unique collectibles. For instance, their collaboration with Max Toy resulted in the Grape Ape figure, sculpted by Mount Kobo and hand-painted by Mark Nagata. Konatsu Koizumi is a Japanese artist and toy designer best known for her adorable yet fierce kaiju (monster) art toys, particularly her signature character, Negora—a cat-inspired kaiju. Her work blends traditional Japanese aesthetics with modern sofubi (soft vinyl) toy culture, creating highly collectible and charming figures. Her most famous creation, Negora, is a cat-like monster with a playful yet destructive personality, inspired by classic Japanese kaiju movies like Godzilla and Ultraman. Beyond Negora, she has designed other animal-based creatures like Shibara (a Shiba Inu kaiju), Pigora (a pig monster), and Daioh Negora (a larger, more powerful version of Negora). Her work has gained a strong following among sofubi collectors, kaiju fans, and designer toy enthusiasts, making Konatsu one of the most recognizable contemporary sofubi artists in Japan.