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QuickTake:
Vending machines are hugely popular in Japan, selling all kinds of items you might find at a convenience store in the U.S. You can get a taste of vending machine shopping at a small store on Sixth Avenue.
In the United States, if you want something from a convenience store, you typically walk inside, browse the aisles, wait in line, and pay the cashier.
In Japan, however, it is common to purchase items from vending machines that offer everything from hot coffee and fresh sandwiches to electronics and bags of rice or complete meals. The country has one vending machine for every 30 to 40 people.
Eugene residents don’t have to travel to Japan to have that experience. Eimi Yamada is the owner of Yamada Vending Co., open in Eugene since April 2024. Yamada provides vending machines stocked with snacks, ramen and trendy items such as coin purses emblazoned with Totoro, Doraemon and Hello Kitty characters.
Yamada Vending Co. has been open since April 2024. Credit: Vanessa Salvia / Lookout Eugene-Springfield 
Vending machines in Yamada Vending Co. sell trendy items along with snacks, candy and ramen. Credit: Vanessa Salvia / Lookout Eugene-Springfield 
Yamada Vending has a variety of machines selling different kinds of items. Credit: Vanessa Salvia / Lookout Eugene-Springfield
Yamada Vending is inside a small space at Sixth Avenue and Lawrence Street. Instead of walking into a convenience-style store, shoppers walk into a space lined with various vending machines, which take credit cards. Most of the time, the vending machines operate without Yamada needing to be there.
Yamada, who is Japanese and travels to the country often, was familiar with vending machine culture. She also was seeking a flexible work life since she needed to be able to take care of her children, who have special needs.
“I needed something that runs itself, except it’s not running itself today,” she said with a laugh. Yamada was there restocking after a busy weekend.
On Monday, Sept. 1, Yamada Vending was hopping, with 10 people walking through the door over a roughly 15-minute period. Though Yamada Vending is not new, word is spreading through TikTok and Reddit. Yamada said overall reaction has been positive.
“Someone posted on Reddit recently,” Yamada said. “Someone probably posts a TikTok every other month or so. Every time someone does one, I get super-busy.”
Daniel Vinnedge and his older sister Charmaine Rampey were there because they heard about Yamada Vending over the weekend through a TikTok video.
Some lockers contain multiple packs of snacks and candy. Credit: Vanessa Salvia / Lookout Eugene-Springfield 
Pocky and other sweets are available in multiple flavors. Credit: Vanessa Salvia / Lookout Eugene-Springfield 
Wasabi-flavored rice crackers, a chocolate bar and a box of Pocky cost $8.75. Credit: Vanessa Salvia / Lookout Eugene-Springfield
Vinnedge, who lives in Eugene, said Japan is his favorite country to visit. He has been there nine times, and the vending machine experience is so common there that getting to shop that way in Eugene is a fun experience. “I look for new snacks,” Vinnedge said. “I like to try different things.”
Rampey, who lives in Hermiston and was visiting Vinnedge, said many of the items they found in the vending machines weren’t familiar to either of them, even though they both shop at Asian markets.
It’s an inexpensive experience, depending on how much you want to purchase. The coin purses are priced from $1.50 to $7. Coffee drinks and juices are about $3.25. A variety of flavors of Pocky candies are $3 or $3.25. A small bag of wasabi-flavored rice crackers costs $2.50. Some lockers have multiple items in them, such as a four-pack of Pocky for $9.75 or a four-pack of instant udon noodle packages for $6.25.
Want to go?
Yamada Vending Co.
570 Lawrence St., Suite 110
Sunday through Thursday: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Friday and Saturday: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
https://www.facebook.com/YamadaVendingCo
