Nichirei’s hot food venders, common in Japan, retire this month

Once ubiquitous at Japanese airports, train stations and ferry terminals, Nichirei Foods’ hot food vending machines will reportedly be discontinued at the end of March, according to a story by a Tokyo-based news site.

The machines vended hamburgers, chicken and fries, along with stalwart grilled rice balls, Sora News 24 observed. They were particularly popular with hungry travelers, who often posted photos of them on social media, noting the vending machines were a welcome sight when you wanted hot food quickly.

The Sora News 24 article noted that the overall number of hot food vending machines in Japan has been declining for a while.

Headquartered in Tokyo, Nichirei Corp. is one of Japan's top producers of frozen foods and a leader in cold storage warehousing. It operates about 80 subsidiaries and affiliates worldwide.