Tokyo’s Coolest Vending Machines: New Ways to Experience the City

Tokyo is a city built on spontaneous surprises, and Japanese vending machines capture this idea perfectly. You’ll spot them everywhere – on peaceful neighborhood streets, in train stations, and even in places you wouldn’t expect, like underground passageways or along quiet riversides. But Japanese vending machines don't just sell drinks or snacks – they often feature limited-edition food products, region-exclusive specialties or quirky experiences you can’t find elsewhere.

Japanese vending machines are an effortless way to explore local culture in bite-sized form. Whether you’re landing in Tokyo for the first time or looking for an unusual memory to take home, following the vending machine trail is a fun, low-pressure way to experience the city’s creativity and convenience.

Endless Vending Machines Options at Tokyo's Modern, Convenient Airport – Haneda Airport Terminal 2

Haneda Airport Terminal 2 is home to many vending machines that are the perfect first or last stop on your trip. More than a transportation hub, Haneda Airport is a place where visitors can experience service convenience and quality, as well as enjoy special, limited-time experiences.

The airport itself is a destination worth taking a few minutes to explore for its vending machine corners, where you’ll find a surprisingly curated mix of snacks, meals and travel-themed treats not available elsewhere.

One standout is an instant ramen vending machine where you can purchase Haneda-branded dry noodle and soup packages. Nearby, you'll also find regional specialty vending machines stocked with rare snacks and food products from Japanese prefectures – an easy way to sample local flavors without traveling across the country.

For something more unusual, Haneda also features frozen food vending machines, including a frozen "airplane food" machine that lets you take home a meal representative of your flight and journey. If you have a sweet tooth, don’t miss the frozen fruit mochi vending machine offering soft, bouncy rice cakes filled with banana, orange, raspberry, blueberry, pineapple and "anko" sweet red bean paste.

For maximum excitement, Haneda Airport Terminal 2 even features a hot ramen vending machine that prepares a steaming bowl from a famous Tokyo ramen shop right in front of you. In addition to miso ramen, a variety of other ramen options are available, making it one of the most satisfying vending machine meals you’ll ever eat.

Because the vending machine lineup is refreshed on a regular basis, even returning to the same spot promises a different experience each time.

A 24 hour gourmet vending machine at Haneda Airport Terminal 2

Create Your Own Smartphone Case in Minutes – Pick Me! Case Smartphone Case Vending Machine on Ikebukuro LABI

Tokyo is full of souvenirs, but the best ones are the kind you’ll actually use. This is exactly what makes the Pick Me! Case smartphone case vending machine such a clever find. Instead of a generic souvenir, you can create a fully personalized smartphone case on the spot, turning your favorite travel photos into something you’ll carry with you daily.

The process is smooth even if you don’t speak Japanese. Simply scan a QR code on the vending machine with your smartphone, which launches a multilingual design interface. From there, you can upload and arrange your favorite photos – whether it’s an unforgettable culinary discovery, a quintessential Shibuya scramble shot or a candid moment from a shrine visit. The interface includes features like "AI outpainting," which expands photos to fill the design space naturally, or "AI cartoon," which transforms people and pets into fun illustrated versions for your smartphone case.

Even if you’re not usually a DIY person, the experience is a satisfying and intuitive creative break in the middle of sightseeing. The entire process takes around 5–10 minutes, and the price is reasonable for a fully customized item created in real time.

Pick Me! Case machines are conveniently located throughout the Tokyo metro area, including Ikebukuro LABI. If you’re traveling with friends, searching one out makes for a fun mini activity: everyone can make their own case, compare designs and walk away with a truly unique and useful keepsake.

A custom smartphone case made from your photos

Memorable Handkerchief Souvenirs and More – OLD-FASHIONED STAND in GRANSTA TOKYO of Tokyo Station

If you love souvenirs with a sense of place, the OLD-FASHIONED STAND vending machine at Tokyo Station is a must. OLD-FASHIONED STORE is originally a handkerchief and cloth accessory boutique from the Setagaya area of Tokyo, and today it has expanded its charm into one of the city’s most iconic travel hubs. In the B1F level TOKYO GRANSTA area of Tokyo Station, you’ll find a vending machine that feels like a tiny gallery, stocked with beautifully designed handkerchiefs that are easy to pack and take home as meaningful gifts.

One of the most popular items in the vending machine is the limited-edition "Blue Train" handkerchief, a design that captures the romance of rail travel in Japan. You’ll also find handkerchiefs featuring Tokyo Station’s legendary red-brick façade, a building with over a century of history that feels like the city’s grand front door, and playful designs with the Suica Penguin, the beloved mascot of Japan’s Suica transit card. Since the Suica Penguin is expected to be retired in spring 2027, picking one up now can feel like grabbing a little piece of Tokyo pop culture before it evolves and disappears.

There's also an Old-Fashioned Store on Tokyo Station 1F featuring handkerchiefs and other items like scarves, socks, aprons, umbrellas, pajamas and more. Old-Fashioned Store features a variety of alluring aesthetics. Some designs feel bold and graphic – like manga-inspired prints or crisp geometry – while others are soft and artistic, like nature-themed watercolors in calm, subdued tones. Handkerchiefs purchased here in person are hand-ironed for each customer, adding a thoughtful touch to a product that’s already full of charm.

Whether you keep it for yourself or gift it to someone back home, buying a handkerchief from the Old-Fashioned Stand vending machine is a small Tokyo souvenir with a large, lasting impression.

A vending machine lined with handkerchiefs

Haneda Airport Terminal 2

Address	Haneda Airport Terminal 2, 3-4-2 Hanedakuko, Ota City, Tokyo
URL	Haneda Airport Terminal 2

Pick Me! Case Smartphone Case Vending Machine on Ikebukuro LABI 7F

Address	7F, Yamada Denki LABI Ikebukuro Main Store, 1-5-7 Higashi-Ikebukuro, Toshima City, Tokyo
URL	Pick Me! Case Smartphone Case Vending Machine on Ikebukuro LABI 7F (JPN)

OLD-FASHIONED STAND in GRANSTA TOKYO of Tokyo Station

Address	GRANSTA TOKYO, Tokyo Station, 1-9-1 Marunouchi, Chiyoda City, Tokyo
URL	OLD-FASHIONED STAND in GRANSTA TOKYO of Tokyo Station (JPN)

For updated information on opening hours, days closed, prices, and more, please check the official website.