You’ll find lots of vending machines on the streets of Japan, but sometimes, if you know where to look, you can find ones that are unlike anything you’ve ever seen before. That’s certainly the case with a vending machine hidden away in an unexpected spot at Tokyo’s Ueno Station, as this hidden gem is more than just a machine — it’s an actual ramen stand.

▼ The sign above it reads “拉麺 Ra-Men Stand”, with “拉麺” meaning “ramen”

From a distance, the noren curtain makes this look like a staffed ramen stand, but it’s only when you get closer that you realise the staff and cook are a vending machine.

Located on the B3 concourse inside the Shinkansen ticket gates, this ramen stand serves up a variety of options, just like a regular restaurant, with meals delivered in just 90 seconds.

The lineup is impressive, with salt, miso, soy sauce and tonkotsu pork bone broth ramen being some of the choices.

We were in the mood for a rich broth when we visited, so we opted for the “Chunky Pork Garlic Soy Sauce Ramen” (850 yen [US$5.83]), which was billed as having a punchy and addictive flavour.

The machine only takes credit cards or electronic payments, so we tapped our card to complete the order.

The machine immediately sprang into action, with the sound of cooking emanating from somewhere inside. With 90 seconds to wait, we ran a quick search online and discovered that the machine uses steam technology to rapidly cook frozen ramen, serving it piping hot at roughly the same speed as a standing noodle shop.

▼ In what seemed like no time at all, the receptacle lit up...

▼ ...and the door slid down to reveal...

▼ ...our piping hot ramen!

Below the product pickup slot are disposable chopsticks and spoons, but when we visited the spoons appeared to be out of stock.

That wasn’t too much of a problem so we grabbed a pair of chopsticks and took our ramen over to the long table set up nearby. Standing at the table, just as we would at a noodle stand, we found that we were the only ones there, making it feel like we’d discovered a hidden gem at the train station.

▼ Now it was time to dig in.

According to the instructions, the noodles should be thoroughly mixed in with the broth to enhance the flavour so that’s what we did after ripping off the top seal. At first glance, it certainly lived up to the “chunky” name, with large pieces of pork in the mix, but we couldn’t deny that it was a little underwhelming visually, as it looked like…well, something you’d get out of a vending machine.

Pushing looks to one side, we took a slurp and let out of a sigh of relief when we found that the thick, chewy noodles were well coated in garlicky richness from the soup, creating a delicious flavour. It was hearty, with a great texture, and had a punch of flavour you wouldn’t expect to get from vending machine ramen.

From the very first slurp, the flavour was so intense it almost made us wish we could order some rice on the side. But as we continued, we fell in love with the flavour, and by the end we felt as if we’d really eaten a quality bowl of noodles from a ramen stand.

With no staff to clean up after us, we had to take our empty bowl and used chopsticks over to the trash receptacles when we’d finished. This was an easy process, and with the whole area looking neat and clean when we visited, it was nice to see that all diners had been good at following the rules.

As we went to leave, our presence at the Ra-Men Stand seemed to attract attention as people began stopping to use the machine. Once you know this unusual stand exists, you’ll be stopping by to use it whenever you need a super fast bowl of ramen, so be sure to check it out next time you’re in the area.

Vending machine information
Ra-Men Stand / 拉麺スタンド
Address: Tokyo-to, Taito-ku, Ueno 7-1-1, JR Ueno Station B3F Shinkansen Concourse
東京都台東区上野7丁目1-1 JR上野駅B3F 新幹線コンコース
Photos©SoraNews24