When I was traveling around in Japan last year, I was bummed because I wasn't able to attend a an exhibit in Osaka on the history of Japanese toy giant Kaiyodo, and the growth of Otaku culture. However, I was pretty stoked when I traipsed over for my annual visit to the Taipei fine arts museum, and lo and behold it was there.
The exhibit exhaustively covers the general history of how models and toys like the Gashapon series became popular in Japan, and subsequently across the world. If you're in Taipei, the show lasts until the 17th of February and tickets cost less than two bucks, definitely worth a look, and you can check out some of the other exhibits currently there, like German poet/artist Gunther Grass.