Opened for half a century, the box lunch vending machine exudes nostalgic charm

In Inashiki City, Ibaraki Prefecture, there is a famous bento restaurant that has been in business for nearly 50 years. Although it is a 'shopI also made a special trip to visit what kind of shop it was. This store is located along National Highway 51 of Sakaijima in Japan. It is a small modular house named 'Araiya Auto Zone'. A few months ago, when the author came to visit, I didn't see any employees. There were only a few vending machines, game consoles, and chairs in the store. Between the milk vending machine and the instant noodle vending machine, there is a 'mysterious' vending machine with no display samples, and there is a line in front of it. In fact, this old rusty vending machine sells bento. There is a note saying 'It won't light up when sold out, and the product is sold out if you press the button.' I looked at the note from the corner of my eye, and after putting in change and pressing the button, the hot bento fell to the fetching port. When you opened it, there were only rice, side dishes, and pickles inside. The owner of this store is Mamoru Suzuki, 77 years old. He said that the bento was made by a few part-time employees in his own kitchen and then placed in the vending machine based on the sales situation. Basically, there are three types of bento: the best-selling 'YakisobaWhen the ingredients are used up, it will be changed to croquette. The 'Roasted Pork Bento' dropped out of the vending machine. Although the dishes are simple, they are steaming hot. This store was founded in 1972. Suzuki, which was originally engaged in the distribution and sales of dairy products, set up food vending machines next to its home in order to expand the scale of its business. At the beginning, udon noodles and other meals were served, but the bento was particularly well received by locals. The reason for its popularity is the price. A bento made with domestically produced meat is 300 yen each (about 18 yuan). It is because there is no personnel expenditure that it can be provided at such a cheap price. It is said that an average of 150 bento is sold a day, and nearly 300 can be sold when business is good. The 43-year-old Motegi, who has been patronizing for 30 years, said: “After club activities were over, I often bought bento boxes in front of the store’s vending machines on my way home to satisfy my hunger. Cheap prices that even junior high school students can afford. It's really great.' The 45-year-old Uoya Yusuke, author of 'A Complete Collection of Japanese Nostalgic Vending MachinesThere are only two places where vending machines have been seen.” However, due to years of operation, the number of failures such as not dropping a lunch box has gradually increased. Although the sales continued while asking acquaintances for repairs, I still received calls from customers to rush to the store. Even so, Suzuki said with a wry smile: 'Many customers come to buy bento is the meaning of my life, there is no way.' The store opens at about 7 or 8 in the morning every morning, while stocks last. Holidays are not fixed. Special recommended series of box lunch vending machines: box lunch vending machines. The above information is shared by unmanned vending machines. Please mark the reprint.