Vending machines are everywhere in Tokyo. You can get food, soup, ice cream, booze, cigarettes, toys – you name it. They even dispense hot drinks – I got one every time I was thirsty. I think we spent most of our money in Japan trying out different drinks (they’re so good, too).

What’s funny is, you never really see anyone eating in public. The only people walking around with drinks in their hands were Americans. It’s impolite to eat on the subway in Japan, although it’s perfectly acceptable to completely fall asleep, which everyone seems to do instantly.

Vending Machines

Here’s what a typical row of vending machines look like. This was, of all places, at the Meiji Shrine.

Suntory has a line of coffee drinks called “Boss”. The text underneath says, “SUNTORY BOSS is the boss of them all since 1992.”

I was very curious about something called “Calorie Mate” which is a “block of balanced food”. What does that mean?!

Hot soup from a machine is a good idea – although canned corn potage does sound a little strange.

I met my weakness: Pokka Pokka Lemon Juice. It’s a delicious hot lemon drink and I’ve been craving it since. It’s tangy, weird…and very likeable.

Left: Mike found an ice cream vending machine at the metro station. Right: …and he has decided to become their official spokesperson.

The ice cream was sandwiched between two tasteless pieces of…waffle? It might as well have been cardboard.

FamilyMart

One of my favorite places to eat in Japan is – I kid you not – FamilyMart. It’s basically a drugstore, like 7-11. Drugstores in Japan are really nice – they’re like a small grocery store and drugstore rolled into one.

Tthe food selection at FamilyMart is incredible. There’s an aisle for Asian food (curry, oden, soba), an aisle for western food (spaghetti, eggs and potatoes, etc) – all freshly made, beautifully arranged, and tightly packed. The prices are reasonable, too.

FamilyMart has all the Japanese food that I make at home, available in one spot, ready to be reheated (think Trader Joe’s take home meals). I wish I had a FamilyMart here.

The quality of food in Japan is much higher than ours. Their vegetables are fresh, and take home meals are delivered throughout the day. If I had this kind of food available to me, I’d probably be cooking a lot less.

There’s always hot food at the checkout counter.

Often the hot food near the counter has nikuman, which are delicious steamed buns filled with different kinds of meats, vegetables, or sweet fillings.

They even have oden, a traditional Japanese stew. I love this stuff.

FamilyMart had this thing that I HAD to try. It was kabocha pumpkin flavored mousse. It didn’t taste as pumpkin-y as I thought it would, but it was pretty good anyway.

Everywhere you go in Japan, you’ll find these pastries called bamukuchen. They’re little cakes with lots of thin layers, as if each layer was individually baked.

I bought what I call the Chocolate Sugar Stick, purely out of curiosity. They’re oddly shaped sticks that are light as air. It has a strong smoky chocolate smell, but tastes like stale cotton candy. Not sure if I would get it again.

Here’s another thing that I bought out of pure curiosity. A Sweet Potato Stick. Or, as the package says, a Stick Sweet Potato. I’m not sure what I was hoping for, but it wasn’t good. It tasted like someone took a rectangular shaped cutter, jammed it into a bland potato, and made a stick of potato. It wasn’t creamy or soft at all. No magic. It was just potato.

I can easily live in Japan simply because there’s onigiri everywhere you go. Onigiri are triangular shaped rice balls filled with chicken, fish, or picked vegetables and wrapped in seaweed. My favorite is the one filled with salmon roe.

What’s amazing is that the onigiri sold at convenience stores always smells and tastes fresh. They probably are, but even so, the rice stays surprisingly soft throughout the day. The Japanese are very particular about keeping certain foods separate, so you’ll see things like this, where the seaweed is separated from the rice so it doesn’t get soggy.

Here’s another thing that I haven’t had before. Soft tofu. But not just any soft tofu. This was creamy, and pudding-like. I got one topped with seaweed, spicy chicken, and fresh cucumber – each ingredient separated by plastic, of course.

I also tried cold noodles topped with salmon roe, octopus and seaweed, served with a small container of fish roe sauce. I’ve never had this before, either. The sauce reminded me of Swedish caviar.

Food is always so neatly packed here.

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