Sandwiches, stickers and even dreams: everything sells on machines in Japan

In a country with a hallucinating number of automatic selling machines, dreams come true around every corner. Unless an insect comes out instead of a Nintendo.

Japan is the country in the world with the largest ratio of Automatic sales machines per inhabitant: in 2019, there was one for every 23 people, according to, which made a total of 5.5 million Of these sometimes lonely machines in the Asian country.

Some are alone in inhospitable and random places, punctuating the landscape with cheerful bouncing colors that appeal to consumption, whether we are on a beach, in a suburb of a large city or a snow -covered mountain in this country so meteorologically diverse.

In big cities, they are the thousands: they are everywhere, and sell the More diverse product rangesome that would be at least peculiar in the West. Compiled her the most curious.

For example, if you are walking around Tokyo, you can prove the typical sanduíche de tonkatsu (panhan pig coast) in a vending machine. But, as some explain, this machine is not here – it has unconventional items for what we would conceive as snackslike cow hamburgers, for example.

In a peculiar zone of the city, there are even what is nicknamed “Esquina of scary automatic machines“An area that looks suspicious and dirty, but where you can find a variety of typical foods such as Oden or Yakitori cans (grilled chicken skewers).

Apart from food, you can also find typical things among the Japanese, such as the idol stickers, which in Portugal can resemble the stickers we collect in notebooks.

If you are a fan of Japanese bands, you can, in certain automatic machines, buy a Full set of 100 cards for less than 6 euros.

Another acquisition that places make on automatic selling machines are stamps, but the variety is such that there are even machines that promise, “offering promising prizes … completely random.

Surprises do not cease in vending machines Japanese. If you come across, collectible letters, accessories and even random awards that even provide high value articles such as a Nintendo Switch or a PlayStation 5, Don’t be surprised… It’s just another normal day in Wonderland.