How to Cook from Tokyo Vending Machines? Ready-Made Meals

The Japanese capital is one of the most vending machine-dense locations in the world. According to many estimates, there’s almost 1 vending machine for every 20 to 25 people in the city of Tokyo.

In fact, you can find an incredibly huge range of vending machines that sell almost all kinds of foods around Tokyo from reheatable eggs, rice, rice balls, and cup noodles among many others.

So, can you cook the food from the Vending Machine in Tokyo or Japan in general?

Yes, you can cook foods bought from Tokyo Vending Machines. For instance, soups in vending machines are served hot. Fried prawns, spring rolls, noodles, pizzas, and hotdogs can be enjoyed on the spot or by reheating in the microwave.

If you want to know how to cook from Tokyo vending machines, this article has got you covered!

In today’s guide, we’ll take you on a tour of vending machines in Japan and explain why Japan is obsessed with vending machines more than any other place in the world.

RELATED READ: How Do Hot Food Vending Machines Work?

Can You Cook from Tokyo Vending Machines?

Yes. You can actually cook an entire meal that you’ve purchased all its ingredients from vending machines around Tokyo, Japan!

When we think of vending machines, the first thing that comes to our mind is standard beverages as well as glass-front vending machines that sell snacks. However, Japan takes things a little further than that!

Tokyo has one of the highest densities of vending machines all over the world. So, in addition to standard vending machines that sell snacks, you can find tons of vending machines that sell a wide range of food stocks.

This includes vending machines that sell eggs, meat, poultry, rice, pre-cooked noodles, dumplings, and much more!

What Can You Buy from Vending Machines Around Tokyo?

Whether in Tokyo or any other major city in Japan, there’s no shortage of consumables that you can buy from a vending machine.

In this section, we’ll take a quick look at some of these items:

1. Beverages and Drinks

Beverages make up the vast majority of vending machines around the country with a sweeping percentage of about 56% of all vending machines in the country.

In Japan, you can find beverage vending machines that sell anything from soda, sports drinks, and water, all the way up to special drinks like tea, coffee, juice, and even liquors and beers!

2. Soups

In addition to regular drinks that you can serve next to a meal or use to cook some food, there are also various vending machines in the country that sell various types of soups. 

For example, you can buy oshiruko from vending machines, which is a traditional Japanese soup of red beans. 

Additionally, you can find many vending machines that sell Miso soup as well as corn soup. These soups are served hot, but you can also reheat them and enjoy them at home.

3. Snacks

Food, in general, comes in second place in terms of items sold in vending machines, making up 20% of all vending machines in the country.

Many of these vending machines are simply snacks, such as candy bars, chips, chocolates, potato chips, cookies, energy bars, and more!

4. Milk and Dairy Products

In addition to drinks and snacks, you can also find a huge range of vending machines around the country that sell milk and other dairy products.

In Tokyo, you can find special vending machines that sell different types of cheese and yogurt, which can be used to make a wide range of recipes. 

Moreover, there are many vending machines that sell all kinds of ice creams that you can enjoy directly or use to make desserts.

5. Fresh Food Ingredients

If you want to cook from Tokyo vending machines, fresh food ingredients will be the main thing to look for. 

In Japan, it’s quite common to find various vending machines that sell eggs, rice, rice balls, cup noodles to be cooked, tufo, and much more! 

You can also find some vending machines that sell condiments as well as fresh herbs for cooking, such as kale.

6. Frozen Food

You can find tons of frozen food and meals that only require reheating in the microwave in Japan. These machines are extremely popular in the country among workers because they can be purchased on the way and prepared in minutes.

7. Ready-Made Meals

Lastly, there is plenty of hot food vending machines in Japan that you can find on the streets of Tokyo.

These machines don’t only sell Japanese food but also a wide variety of Chinese and other Asian food, such as fried prawns, hot and sour soup, spring rolls, Chinese noodles, and many more!

Japan also has various vending machines that sell western food like pizzas, hotdogs, corn dogs, and more!

Why Do Vending Machines in Tokyo Have All Kinds of Foods?

Now that you know more about vending machines in Tokyo and what you can find in them, you might be wondering why vending machines are extremely popular in Japan.

In fact, there are many reasons behind Japan’s obsession with vending machines, here’s a look at some of these factors:

• Since Japan is a very small country, real estate prices are very high, so owning/renting a retail store or a restaurant can be quite pricey. Products sold in vending machines are much cheaper.
• Labor costs in Japan are very high, and with the country’s fascination with automation, it’s natural that customers would be drawn to buying from vending machines
• Vending machines provide an excellent passive income to a lot of people in the country
• Japan has a very low rate of robbery crimes, which makes it an excellent environment for vending machine businesses to thrive.

How Many Vending Machines Are There in Japan?

According to the Vending Machine Manufacturers Association, there are about 4,003,600 vending machines in Japan that sell all kinds of items as of December 2021.

The majority of these vending machines are the ones that sell food and drink items, which come at a total of 2,327,200 units. A truly impressive number for such a small-sized country!

Wrap Up

There you have it! A brief guide that walks you through the impressive culture of Asian food vending machines in Tokyo, Japan.

As you can see, vending machines have become an integral part of modern-day Japan for a wide variety of reasons. 

While cruising the streets of Tokyo, you’ll come across vending machines selling just about anything you can find in a retail store, which allows you to use these items to make fresh meals at home!