Hienadz Vardanyan 
When in Tokyo, ramen is the best thing to try. Japanese ramen is the most delicious ramen you can get.
If you want an authentic taste then the best place to try is a ramen restaurant since they serve up the best bowl of ramen.
You can go to lots of different places for ramen, but did you know that you can also get ramen from a vending machine? Yes, that’s right, ramen from a vending machine!
Don’t be put off by where the ramen comes from, these machines can actually serve up restaurant-quality ramen in seconds.
Whereas in western countries you might find things like chips, soda, and candy bars, Japan has some of the most unique vending machines around.
They’ve taken the concept and given us some of the most surprising ones out there.
You’ve heard of food vending machines, but did you know there are puppy vending machines across Japan? There’s even a luxury car vending machine the size of a block of apartments.
So if you think about it, ramen in Tokyo isn’t the most surprising thing to have heard of. They are one of the tastiest though.
Ramen vending machines became popular when the Covid-19 Pandemic hit when restaurants were looking for efficient, no-contact, ways to increase their sales.
These machines will not only serve but also prepare fresh or frozen on-the-spot bowls of ramen.
Not just one type, but they serve many different types of ramen like miso ramen, shoyu ramen, spicy ramen, and even just plain ramen.
The best part about it is that these machines serve up ramen almost instantly, in just under 90 seconds for most of them. All you have to do is go home and reheat or cook the ramen.
Don’t be put off by this, it’s a lot easier to do than you’d expect. Especially with the easy-to-follow instructions provided with each tasty meal.
So if you’re looking for a tasty bowl of noodles, why not try some of these top 4 best vending machines for ramen in Tokyo?
SUSURU Ramen Selection (SUSURUラーメンセレクション)
Susuru is a very famous YouTuber and TV personality in Japan, famous for the channel Susuru TV.
Susuru is known for being able to point out some of the best ramen joints in Japan, and has become renowned across the country for the awesome content he creates about some of his favorites.
Susuru also shows off some of tokyo best vending machine ramen!
Susuru’s ramen selection provides excellent frozen ramen, made from frozen ingredients that were frozen when fresh to lock in their flavor, for you to cook at home.
To use it, simply follow the instructions on the keypad.
Choose from lots of different types of ramen, such as miso ramen domiso, Sugoi Niboshi ramen nagi, vegetarian ramen, kanekitchen noodoke, and even shoyu ramen.
However, vegetables are not included in the packs. But you can add your own.
Then the machine will release and freeze pack version of those ramen for you to take home and reheat. The cooking process is simple and instructions are given on the packs.
The result is better than even some ramen shops.
All ramen costs about ¥1,000 and what kind of ramen you can buy will change based on the location you go to.
Susuru has personally branded these ramen vending machines excellent and put his seal of approval on them.
These vending machines are found across the country. In Tokyo, there are 3 locations, namely:
- Chidoricho Store: 3-7-16 Chidori, Ota-ku, Tokyo 146-0083
- Nippori Store: 2-52-2 Nishinippori, Arakawa-ku, Tokyo 116-0013
- Shinjuku Arakicho Store: 19 Araki-cho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-0007
Noodle Tours (ヌードルツアーズs)
If you are looking for noodles that have a restaurant-quality taste, at an affordable price, then these are the best noodles for you.
Noodle tours vending machines are installed and operated by Maruyama Seimen Co. If you’ve heard of them before, it’s because they are one of the top noodle manufacturers in Japan.
If you want to try one of tokyo best vending machine ramen, then you definitely have to try out Noodle Tours vending machines.
Maruyama Seiman decided to invest in ramen vending machines around the time of the Covid-19 pandemic, as their sales were falling since most restaurants were closed. They needed to make up the shortfall.
This was the best and safest way to do it.
They were called noodle tours because these ramen vending machines will tour your taste buds around Asia.
Maruyama has managed to take their delicious restaurant meals and package them into quick, affordable, and easy, instant ramen.
These vending machines are huge, rectangular boxes that are white.
On the front show the 5 different types of ramen and dumplings, a total of about 11-12 options altogether. This varies depending on where the ramen machine is.
Among the different flavors that you can try in these vending machines are Ehime Sea Bream Salt Ramen and Men-ya Oto Rich Niboshi Soba.
These ramen flavors are scrumptious and convenient, so you should certainly give them a try. The price varies depending on the flavor, but they tend to cost between ¥900 and ¥1,000.
They are fully worth the cost, as they are clearly tokyo best vending machine ramen.
There are a total of 19 vending machines in the city of Tokyo alone. The locations of some of the best ones are as follows:
- Hatsudai Store: 4-40-14 Nishi Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo
- Akihabara Store: 4-3-3 Sotokanda, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
- Asakusa Senzoku Store: 4-35-3 Asakusa, Taito-Ku, Tokyo
Frozen 24 Mart (FROZEN 24 マート)
If you’ve ever been around Tokyo Subway then you know that Tokyo subway station ramen vending machines are very common.
The train stations are known for having lots of these machines dotted around and outside of the platforms, so you can grab dinner on the go.
These vending machines have ramen from a variety of famous ramen shops like Ramen Nagi, and Ippudo, which are known for their delicious noodle dishes.
These are easily some of tokyo best vending machine ramen.
The original Frozen 24 Mart ramen vending machine is installed in Iidabashi Station and has since been installed in several different metro stations and even some university campuses and airports.
These machines are big and white and have their selections on the front. You can choose from 3 different types of ramen, dumplings, and even ice packs.
These gourmet meals are sold frozen and you must take them home to cook them. Creating a Michelin star meal instantly, these ramen packs cost just ¥1,000.
They come with cooking instructions but no vegetables.
However you are free to add anything you like to these instant ramen packs, and the instructions even offer suggestions of sides and extra ingredients that will add to the flavor of the ramen.
These vending machines are used on a daily basis by hundreds of thousands of commuters, who can all attest to their excellent quality and flavor.
Just because the ramen comes from a vending machine, does not mean they are lacking in quality.
If you are in Tokyo, you can find these vending machines quite easily. To taste the mouth-watering ramen from the very first vending machine, visit: Japan, 4-9-5 Iidabashi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-0072
Ramen Stock 24
Ramen stock 24 vending machines were actually produced by famous ramen shop Sugoi Niboshi Ramen Nagi.
Like other noodle shops, they too decided to invest in ramen vending machines during the pandemic.
As well as Nagi’s delicious ramen, they also sell ramen from other famous shops like Masashiya in Kichijoji, and Miso noodles shop Hanamichi.
These machines are big, rectangular, and red so they’re easy to spot. There are a total of 10 different dishes to pick from.
From char Sui ramen to miso ramen, they have tons of tasty noodle dishes. These noodles are sold for only ¥1,000.
To use these machines is very simple, just follow the instructions on the pad on the right, and then your chosen dish will come out pre-packaged and ready for quick cooking.
There are roughly 133 locations across the country. These vending machines have lots of different locations which can be found here.
Some of their popular locations are:
- Kita Shinjuku Tax Office: 1-19 Kitashinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo
- Yoyogi Station Square Store: 1-30 Yoyogi, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
- Higashinihonbashi Store: 1-3-5 Higashinihonbashi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
