{"url":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVJ4qz9B-2E","title":"How Japan's vanishing hot food vending machines work","domain":"youtube.com","imageUrl":"https://img.youtube.com/vi/gVJ4qz9B-2E/maxresdefault.jpg","pexelsSearchTerm":null,"category":"Entertainment","language":"en","slug":"300a071f","id":"300a071f-f3ec-44d1-b286-052c6296905c","description":"John Daub visits a park of 108 vintage Japanese hot food vending machines at a tire shop in Sagamihara.","summary":"## TL;DR\n- John Daub visits a park of 108 vintage Japanese hot food vending machines at a tire shop in Sagamihara.\n- Machines peaked at 250,000 nationwide in 1985 but are now rare due to convenience stores.\n- Owner Saito-san collects and repairs them to preserve a fading part of Japanese culture.\n\n## The story at a glance\nJohn Daub from the ONLY in JAPAN channel tours the Hot Food Vending Machine Park in Sagamihara, run by Saito-san at his used tire shop. Saito-san has gathered 108 machines from the 1950s to today since 2016, first to entertain waiting customers. The video shows how they work and why these once-common machines are disappearing. Convenience stores now offer better food options, making the machines obsolete.\n\n## Key points\n- The park started as Saito-san's hobby but draws visitors for hot meals like curry rice, udon, burgers, and sandwiches from machines.\n- Curry rice machine, the last of its kind in Japan, heats sauce in a bag, cuts it open, and pours over rice in 27 seconds for 500 yen.\n- Udon machine uses nixie tubes, keeps noodles fresh behind a temp-controlled door, and boils them with broth.\n- Burger machine refrigerates patties at 5°C, toasts them for a minute; sandwiches get microwaved in boxes.\n- Coffee machine from the 1970s mixes drinks from containers, pumps into cups, and stirs ice to avoid freezing.\n- Operators need restaurant licenses; Saito-san repairs machines himself, even making parts.\n- Tasters praise the curry rice for fresh rice and spicy sauce; burgers taste like 1990s nostalgia.\n\n## Details and context\nSaito-san began collecting in 2016 to keep tire customers happy while they wait. His collection grew into a tourist spot with machines like a camera vendor for film and disposable cameras, plus frozen Pocari Sweat.\n\nThe machines avoid microwaves for most heating: sauce bags warm in hot water, rice prepped in boxes. This kept food safe before conbinis like 7-Eleven took over with fresher stock.\n\nNo LEDs or microchips in many 40-year-old units; they rely on simple mechanics. Maintenance is tough—Saito-san fixed a coffee machine over three days.\n\n## Key quotes\n- Saito-san: \"I started collecting machines as my hobby... Unless I take care of them, they will all be extinct.\"[[1]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVJ4qz9B-2E)\n- John Daub on curry rice: \"This rice is very good!\"[[1]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVJ4qz9B-2E)\n\n## Why it matters\nThese machines show Japan's vending culture peak and shift to modern convenience. Visitors get a hands-on look at retro tech and cheap hot food not found elsewhere. Watch if Saito-san adds more machines or if tourism keeps the park going.","hashtags":["#japan","#vendingmachines","#foodtech","#nostalgia","#culture"],"sources":[{"url":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVJ4qz9B-2E","title":"Original article"}],"viewCount":5,"publishedAt":"2026-04-19T07:18:44.483Z","createdAt":"2026-04-19T07:18:44.483Z","articlePublishedAt":"2023-06-06T00:00:00.000Z"}