News Ibaraki vending machine delivering bento for 52 years

A vending machine in a quiet Ibaraki Prefecture countryside has been operating for at least 52 years. Its enduring appeal has captured the nation, drawing YouTubers and long holiday queues. Located within the unmanned Araiya Oto Kona (Araiya auto corner) shop in Inashiki City, along Route 51, the machine offers a scenic view of Lake Kasumigaura. This prefabricated shed on the Chiba Prefecture border across the Tonegawa River exudes a nostalgic charm reminiscent of the Showa Era (1926-1989).


On a typical weekday in early November, the shop welcomed a diverse group of visitors, including two middle-aged women, a delivery company worker, and a cycling couple. The vending machine presented seven enticing bento options: yakiniku (焼肉, grilled meat), kara-age (からあげ, fried chicken), hire-katsu (ヒレカツ, breaded and fried pork tenderloin), menchi-katsu (メンチカツ, breaded and fried ground meat patty), mixed fries, hamburger steak, and a daily special. These warm and delicious box lunches, priced at a mere 330 yen ($2.2) each, are crafted using exclusively Japanese ingredients, further enhancing the shop's appeal.

The shop is run by Kazuyuki Suzuki, 54, who restocks the lunches by monitoring sales from his home-kitchen next door. He can tell when a group of visitors or cars have arrived from their sounds, and he cooks accordingly. Suzuki offers about 100 lunches on weekdays, and about 250 on holidays with help from a part-timer. His parents opened the shop in 1972. At that time, machines selling udon and soba noodles were also available, but they broke down one by one. The bento machine remained. It is believed to be secondhand, and Suzuki does not know how old it is. Whenever problems arise, he asks an acquaintance familiar with vending machines to fix it. The machine does not display product samples and instead shows handwritten signs for the menu. Many notes with instructions are pasted on the machine saying, for example, "500-yen coins cannot be used." Another note says: "The sold-out lamp does not work, so if nothing comes out after pressing the button, please make a different selection."

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When the shop opened, Suzuki said that a bento cost 250 yen. Although the price had increased by only 80 yen in 52 years, he acknowledged they had reached their limit. He explained that with rising rice prices, they had no choice but to raise it soon. The shop operated with irregular holidays and remained open from 8 AM until the day's bento supply was exhausted.

It's always a mystery to me how these little shops in Japan -- even real shops with more stuff -- can possibly make a living. It says he sells about 100 on weekdays which is just Y33,000.

Count in the "holidays" (probably weekends) and you might reach a turnover that's double of a freshman's salary. He owns the land and factor in that Ibaraki is cheaper.