Japan’s bear meat vending machine a surprise hit

A black bear meat vending machine has found popularity in northern Japan. Photo / Yasa, Getty Images

There are few things you cannot buy from a vending machine in Japan. Until now, bear meat was one of those.

The bear meat vending machine in Akita, northern Honshu, has been a surprise hit.

Selling at ¥2,200 ($26.50) for a 250g portion, it is not a cheap meat. Located near the railway station in the remote town of Semboku, nor is it a convenience food.

However, tourists have begun flocking to the town in the country’s interior since the machine was installed in November, last year. Many passing through on the scenic rail lines now make a special stop to visit the kiosk automat in Semboku.

The machine is regularly stocked with meats sourced by local hunters, according to the Mainichi Shimbun. It sells meat in various grades, from fatty to lean, under the signage: “Black bear meat. Open 24 hours!”

Should you crave this unusual delicacy, Semboku has you covered. Though, it’s a 400km train ride from Tokyo.

The vending machine was opened by the Soba Goro restaurant, as a place for tourists to source edible souvenirs.

“It tastes clean, and it doesn’t get tough, even when cold. It can be enjoyed in a wide range of dishes, from stew to steaks,” a spokesperson told the Machi Shumbun.

The machine sells around 2.5kg to 4kg of meat a week. However the restaurant advises that it regularly runs out of stock, due to strict hunting restrictions on black bear.

There are few things you cannot buy from a vending machine in Japan. Photo / Mylene Larnaud, Unaplash

How Japan bought in to the vending machine

Japan is the world’s leading user of vending machines, with five million of the kiosks scattered throughout the country. That’s around one vending machine per 25 people.

Around ¥8 trillion ($90 billion) of payments go through the machines each year, according to the Japanese Vending System Manufacturers Association.

Of course that figure is more than bear meat and cans of cola. Walking through Tokyo you’ll find a vending machine for almost every need.

From kiosks selling umbrellas at the metro station to surgical masks and sex toys, there’s little that can’t be bought from coin operated slots. There was even a vending machine selling puppies at one pet shop in Roppongi, which have drawn criticism from animal rights activists.

Since the early 2000s economists have suggested that Japan’s addiction to vending machines stem from a rapidly ageing population, workforce pressures and skyrocketing rental prices in cities.

Robert Parry, a lecturer at Japan’s Kobe University’s economics school charted the rise of the vogue for vending machines.

“Vending machines need only a periodic visit from the operator to replenish the supplies and empty the cash,” he wrote in a 1998 paper.

Even as the rest of the world goes cashless, Japan is likely to hang on to its coin-operated culture for some time.