(CNN) — There's a reason why Sagamihara, Japan isn't in travel guides. It is a sprawling commuter city to nearby Yokohama and Tokyo. It's a mix of highways, light industrial estates and quiet towns that people pass through without stopping.
However, a 30-minute bus ride from Sagami-Ono Station, Tatsuhiro Saito's second-hand tire shop, which stands quietly on the back of the main road, is about Japan's recent history - the Showa era ( 1926--1989) from approximately 70 restored working food vending machines.
Japan has long had more vending machines per capita than any other country. antiques, but most (more than half of the 4 million machines currently in operation in Japan) sell drinks.
Saito's Vintage His collection of machines is commonly called "natsukashii" or nostalgic in Japanese, but this is a rare treat.
Most were on display along his two covered walkways next to a dusty parking lot from the 1970s and his 80s. Treats and snacks that were common decades ago are available and are often greeted with joy by visitors. If you're not feeling nostalgic, you'll find retro toys, Kodak camera film, AA batteries, and even his arcade machine.
Meals from machines
Hot food attracts hundreds of people every weekend. model to provide.
Burgers -- classic or teriyaki -- for just ¥280 ($2) pop out of machines in bright yellow boxes from the mid-'80s. The scorching hot chashu ramen costs 400 yen ($3) per serving and is served in a wobbly plastic bowl in just 25 seconds.
A visitor is checking options at a noodle vending machine.
Dean Irvine
Other machines serve hot Japanese-style curry roux over large bowls.
The "American popcorn" machine clatters to a lilting tune.
Each thirsty visitor parted with his 100-yen (75-cent) classic glass-bottled drink in a few attractive, clunky vintage We need to focus on the Coca-Cola machine.
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The machine's unique design and artwork appeal to many visitors is. the food or drink itself.
Kanagawa Vespa club manager Goro Seto is old enough to remember some of the machines from his heyday. added it as a pit stop for his group's latest ride after watching.
Other visitors prefer mechanics. A local couple who are regulars at the site return regularly to see what new machines Saito adds to their collection. They claim that the "noodle shop" ramen he machine made by Sharp is the best. This is because the dispense his hatch is larger and does not get hot when the food is served.
A series of beverage machines that sell soda and coffee.
Dean Irvine
Behind the mystery
Saito, 50, said he started a business centered on love. How the vending machine works and how it works.
He noticed that machines of this kind from his childhood were becoming rare in Japan, and considered restoring or maintaining them a challenge. . He purchased machines primarily through his auctions and word of mouth online.
Since 2016, vending machine takebacks have taken longer than his tire fitting business.
Now Mr. Saito employs about as many people to work in the kitchen and keep the machines in stock as he changes tires.
Saito poses in front of two vending machines.
Dean He is Irvine
SPOILER HE ALERTS: The machine is so high tech that he has the illusion that he has prepared and cooked all the food he serves. For people, they are not. t.
The hamburger steak is an original recipe from a food store in Ebina that was specially made for Mr. Saito (if you want to know the ingredients, you might not want to eat it. ), and all other meals - toasted sandwiches, udon, curry, soba, rice, matcha salmon ochazuke - are made in the on-site kitchen.
Saito and his staff every day, sometimes on weekends he has to restock the machines many times a day.
The Food Safety Law requires those who own vending machines that serve hot food in Japan to obtain appropriate licenses and maintain the same hygiene standards as restaurants. there is.
According to the Japan Vending Machine Manufacturers Association, food vending machines in Japan peaked in 1985, when nationwide he reached 250,000 units. As of December 2021, that number has dropped to 72,800. That number includes frozen foods such as ice cream and sweets, so hot food machines are few and far between.
But it's not all bad news.
Some machines have seen a bit of a resurgence over the past two years, partly because the pandemic has impacted restaurant opening hours. For example, a frozen ramen machine appeared outside a restaurant in Tokyo last year.
For now, however, it seems to be up to Saito and other mechanical enthusiasts to keep the taste and memory of Showa alive.
