Going Beyond Soft Drinks || All About Vending Machines in Japan
Explore the Surprising Vending Machines in Japan
If you’ve ever been to Japan, you know that vending machines are everywhere.
They are basically a part of the landscape, and you can find them on almost every street corner.
Vending machines offer a wide variety of products with convenient and fast access to items even after the opening hours of stores or restaurants, since they operate 24 hours.
Let’s find out about unique vending machines in Japan with some beneficial information for your trip!
Vending Machines in Japan || Useful Vocabulary
Vending Machines in Japan || Unique Vending Machines
Vending Machines in Japan || Vendors to Visit
Vending Machines in Japan || Helpful Things To Know
Vending Machines in Japan || FAQs
Vending Machines in Japan || Useful Vocabulary
Before we find out about interesting shopping experiences, let’s learn some useful vocabulary related to vending machines!
Vending machines are 自動販売機 (じどうはんばいき) in Japanese.
自動 (じどう) means automatic in Japanese.
DID YOU KNOW || There are abbreviated versions too – 自販機 (じはんき) or 自販 (じはん). You can use abbreviated words in informal conversation!
Example Sentences
Formal: 自動販売機で水(みず)を買(か)ってきてもいいですか？
Informal: 自販で水を買ってきてもいい？
Can I buy (a bottle of) water from the vending machine?
Tickets machines are called 自動券売機 (じどうけんばいき) or 券売機 (けんばいき). 券 (けん) is a kanji for ticket in Japanese.
You can also say チケット instead of 券; they both mean ticket.
IMPORTANT || For train tickets, we use 切符 (きっぷ) instead.
Some fast food restaurants or ramen shops have 食券機 (しょっけんき: food ticket machine).
You can get 食券 (しょっけん: food tickets) from the machine. Instead of ordering food by yourself, you’ll give the purchased tickets to the staff.
Example Sentences
電車 (でんしゃ)の切符はこの券売機から買(か)えますよ。
You can buy train tickets from this ticket machine.
食券機の使(つか)い方(かた)を教(おし)えてください。
Please tell me how to use the food ticket machine.
Vending Machines in Japan || Unique Vending Machines
Vending machines in Japan offer almost everything you can think of – beverages, bread, ice cream, books, flowers, and even skincare products 😍
You’ll get to know some retro vending machines and innovative ones with impressive ideas behind them in this section!
Coffee (コーヒー)
Not feeling confident enough to tell your specific preference for your coffee in Japanese?
Try out the amazing coffee vending machines!
You can buy canned coffee from normal vending machines, but there are vending machines that make coffee in paper cups and let you choose the amount of milk and sugar and the mildness of the coffee.
If you want cold ones, you can choose with or without ice.
This type of vending machine also includes other drinks like juice, water, and warm soup.
As paper cups are not as big as plastic bottles from the usual vending machines, the price is around 100 yen, and sometimes it might be less.
Udon Noodles (うどん)
DID YOU KNOW || You can also buy a bowl of udon noodles from a vending machine in Japan?
You can get instant udon noodles from some vending machines and pour hot water by yourself afterwards, but this type of vending machine is quite different.
It can actually make fresh udon noodles with a warm broth for you!
So what’s the mechanism behind this vending machine to prepare udon like this?
The vending machine has pre-boiled udon noodles and ingredients in refrigerated bowls, and hot water is poured into one of the bowls after the money is inserted.
The water is then drained while the bowl is being rotated, then the soup is poured into the cup, and it is ready to serve.
This whole process is done in around 20 to 30 seconds, which is even faster than instant noodles!
Even though it is difficult to find in the big city as the number of these vending machines is decreasing, you may find them when you travel to the countryside or the rest areas on highways.
The vending machine might serve Ramen or Soba noodles too 😎
The price will set you back around 300 to 400 yen.
Hamburgers (ハンバーガー)
Vending machines can even make hamburgers for you 🍔
This type of vending machine is becoming harder to find, but they give you a delicious hamburger!
It will reheat the hamburger after you insert the money, so you can get a warm one. The price range is around 300 yen.
Cookies (クッキー)
These vending machines for cookies are owned by a confectionary wholesale company and they started using vending machines to sell cookies that did not meet the standard size or shape in order to cut down on food waste.
They launched a new line called “湘南クッキー” (Shonan is the area in Kanagawa Prefecture where they mostly place the vending machines).
The price is cheaper than usual for cookies, but they taste amazing! These Shonan Cookies come in a variety of flavours too!
Umbrella (傘 かさ)
Perhaps it started raining suddenly, but you didn’t bring an umbrella, and the stores are already closed?
Well, you are in luck because you can find vending machines for umbrellas!
A vending machine company, Dydo, offers “Rental Umbrellas,” in which umbrellas are rented free of charge from the rack installed on the sides of the vending machines.
You can freely use the umbrellas and return them at a later date.
Some of the umbrellas available for rental are forgotten umbrellas from train stations and trains, making this project an effective use of resources and a reduction of environmental impact.
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Hanko (はんこ)
Hanko is a stamp with your surname on it, and it is commonly used as a signature in Japan.
It is necessary to have a はんこ when you open up a bank account, sign a new contract, or buy a car.
The Hanko vending machine lets you choose the font in which you want your name to be sculpted.
After you insert the cash, your はんこ will be ready in 15 minutes.
The price depends on the design, but it will cost from 500 to 2,500 yen.
It might be a great token souvenir for a memory of your trip 🤩
Let’s review the vocabulary we learned in this section!
Places to Visit for Vending Machines Experience
Would you like to try those unique vending machines when you are in Japan?
Save these places for your travel ideas!
中古タイヤ市場 || Kanagawa Prefecture
If you want to try out as many vending machines in Japan as you can, this place is a must-visit!
As Kanagawa Prefecture is very accessible from Tokyo, lots of people come for a unique experience.
ADDRESS | Used Tire Market (中古タイヤ市場 相模原店) || 2666-1 Shimomizo, Minami Ward, Sagamihara, Kanagawa Prefecture
Find on Google Maps here.
ドライブイン七輿 || Gunma Prefecture
This place has a long history as a rest area for long-distance drivers.
It has many food vending machines from the Showa period (1926–1989), and the owners try to conserve these old machines until today.
There is an amusement arcade as well, so you will get to experience the retro Japanese vibes!
ADDRESS | Drive-Inn Nanakoshi (ドライブイン七輿) || 858 Kamiochiai, Fujioka, Gunma Prefecutre
Find on Google Maps here.
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Vending Machines in Japan || Helpful Things You Should Know
Let’s find out some helpful things to know about vending machines in Japan before you set off on your adventure.
Cold and Hot Beverages
Vending machines in Japan have two different colours indicated on them – blue and red.
Do you know what the differences are between these colours?
Blue colours are used for cold drinks, and red colours are for hot drinks.
It usually has hiragana on the colours – つめたい (cold) for the blue colour and あたたかい (hot/warm) for the red colour.
If you remember this, you will never be shocked by how hot the canned coffee comes out of the vending machine!
Brown Vending Machines
The colours of vending machines in Japan are quite noticeable in urban areas.
But when you travel to historical places such as Kyoto or Nara, you may find brown vending machines.
You might find the vending machines odd and avoid using them, but don’t worry!
Those brown vending machines and stores are designed to blend in with the environment and not ruin the beautiful scenery.
The brown vending machine allows you to enjoy the views and also hydrate during sightseeing instead of the slightly more garish, bright colours that are found in Tokyo 😎
You can find convenience stores or well known branded stores painted brown in these places. It is for the same reason as mentioned above.
Lost in Japan? Vending Machines Can Help
If you get lost in Japan, try to find the vending machine near you.
Vending machines actually have a sticker with an address, so you will at least know the current location.
Also, it will be helpful in case you need to call the police or an ambulance and tell them the address of the nearest vending machine to give them the approximate location where the emergency happened.
That concludes our beginners guide to vending machines in Japan. We hope you learnt something new today.
Have you experienced the wild world of Japanese vending machines? If so tell us what you purchased in the comments below.
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Vending Machines in Japan || FAQs
What is vending machine in Japanese?
Vending machines are 自動販売機 (じどうはんばいき) in Japanese.
There are abbreviated words; 自販機 (じはんき) or 自販 (じはん).
Where can I try retro vending machines?
Used Tire Market (中古タイヤ市場 相模原店) or Drive-Inn Nanakoshi (ドライブイン七輿) are great places since they have a wide selection of vending machines.
If you are traveling to Tokyo, Used Tire Market would be a better option.
If you want to feel the retro Japan vibes, Drive-Inn Nanakoshi would be more interesting to you.
Where can I find the brown vending machines?
You can find them in the historical places such as Nara or Kyoto.
I would recommend you take a photo of it once you find it; it’s rare to find!
Why are some vending machines in Japan brown in colour?
The colours of vending machines in Japan are quite noticeable in urban areas.
But when you travel to historical places such as Kyoto or Nara, you may find brown vending machines.
You might find the vending machines odd and avoid using them, but don’t worry!
Those brown vending machines and stores are designed to blend in with the environment and not ruin the beautiful scenery.
The brown vending machine allows you to enjoy the views and also hydrate during sightseeing instead of the slightly more garish, bright colours that are found in Tokyo 😎
What is the difference between blue and red items in a Japanese vending machine?
Vending machines in Japan have two different colours indicated on them – blue and red.
Do you know what the differences are between these colours?
Blue colours are used for cold drinks, and red colours are for hot drinks.
It usually has hiragana on the colours – つめたい (cold) for the blue colour and あたたかい (hot/warm) for the red colour.
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