Japan’s vending machines sell an amazing array of foodstuffs (and, yes other more bizarre offering but we won’t go there) from hot and cold drinks to edible insects and hamburgers.
Its Vending System Manufacturers Association reports that the number of machines peaked at 5.6 million in 2000 – or one for every 23 people. That had fallen to just over 4 million by 2020, but it still has the largest number of vending machines per capita in the world.
Japan has now added a new model that sells … fresh bear meat – and it’s proven to be a hit.
The machine is in the northern prefecture of Akita and the meat sells for $16.50 per 250g. It’s proved popular with passengers alighting at a nearby railway station and the operator has received requests for mail order deliveries from Tokyo, about 400kms away.
The machine, which touts its contents as a regional speciality, was stocked with locally killed wild bear and sold a mixture of lean and fatty meat, the Mainichi Shimbun newspaper reported.
The meat came from bears captured in the mountains by members of a local hunting club who were permitted to kill a certain number during the annual hunting season, the paper added.
The Guardian reports that bear meat consumption is highest in northern Japan, where it is sold in cans and even as instant curry. It has a slightly gamey flavour that some have likened to venison, and is often served in stew.
In other vending machine news(we know you care), Japan’s biggest whaling company, Kyodo Senpaku, has started selling whale meat from vending machines to boost consumption. It plans to install them in 100 locations around the country.
Have you crossed paths with Japan’s vending machines? Did you find them amazing?
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