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       Japan Runs on Vending Machines. It’s About to Break Millions of Them.

       New yen notes set to be introduced this summer won’t be compatible with many machines that businesses like ramen shops rely on.

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       The vending machine at the Goumen Maruko ramen shop in Tokyo will be obsolete come July. Credit...Noriko Hayashi for The New York Times

       By Kiuko Notoya and John Yoon

       Kiuko Notoya reported from Tokyo, and John Yoon from Seoul.

       June 7, 2024, 5:00 a.m. ET

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       The vending machine at Hiroshi Nishitani’s Tokyo ramen restaurant has been reliable for a decade. Customers feed it money, and it prints out their orders while he makes fresh noodles in the kitchen. The food is served within minutes once the customer delivers the order to the pair of cooks at the counter.

       But the machine’s days are numbered. Japan is set to introduce a new set of bank notes this summer, something it does every 20 years or so to thwart counterfeiters. The machine, already too old to accept recent coin designs, won’t accept the new bills, Mr. Nishitani said.

       “There’s nothing wrong with the vending machine,” he said, expressing frustration with the need to buy an expensive new unit compatible with the new notes.

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       The dishes at Goumen Maruko are all priced below the ‘1,000 yen wall.’Credit...Noriko Hayashi for The New York Times

       All over Japan, restaurants, cafeterias, bathhouses and other businesses are facing a similar prospect. The country has 4.1 million vending machines, according to Nikkei Compass, a database for industry reports. Many of them will be obsolete once the new 1,000-, 5,000- and 10,000-yen bills roll out in July featuring hologram technology.

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       In Japan, where the work force is shrinking, the machines reduce the need for cashiers and servers. Among the most reliant on the machines are ramen shops, which serve one of the Japanese working class’s favorite, most affordable meals.

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       Kiuko Notoya is a Tokyo-based reporter and researcher, covering news and features from Japan. More about Kiuko Notoya

       John Yoon is a Times reporter based in Seoul who covers breaking and trending news. More about John Yoon

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