Used Tire Mart Sagamihara Store in Sagamihara, Japan

Tag : Atlas Obscura

Located 40 kilometers outside central Tokyo, the city of Sagamihara isn't on most tourists' radars. But hidden in this Japanese suburb, in a used tire shop, is a well-maintained collection of 112 vending machines.

These vending machines range from antique to modern, and they sell almost anything you can imagine that can come out of a vending machine, and then some more. There's one that microwaves you some fresh popcorn, one that dispenses noodles in a bowl, and one that sells a booklet about the vending machines themselves. You can also get some ice cream, some sake to wash it down, or even an umbrella, or some camera film. 

It seems slightly bizarre to find rows of food-dispensing vending machines sandwiched between a dusty parking lot and a used tire shop. But the food in the vending machines is fresh and restocked regularly—the curry and noodles are cooked fresh and replenished daily.