Japan Upscale Vending Machines Sell Michelin Guide Dishes, Caviar, Wagyu

Apr 03, 2023

Machines selling high-quality food are a rare bright spot for industry in long-term decline

A customer buys a frozen wagyu meal from a vending machine near Asagaya station in Tokyo.

Kanoko Matsuyama

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Japan's ailing vending machine industry is looking to indulgences like caviar and fresh sashimi to stymie its decades-long decline.

Aided by the pandemic push for minimizing contact with others, food-dispensing machines have emerged as a rare spark of growth for the sector. The offerings are far more exclusive than packaged snacks like chips and chocolate, though: the high-tech machines, which stand about 6-feet tall, allow customers to buy frozen and chilled versions of their favorite dishes from Michelin Guide-listed soup noodles to sashimi, wagyu steak and even caviar.