Japanese vending machines are wild—Akiba’s famous “oden can”!

Oden, one of Japan’s iconic stewed dishes. On a cold winter day, a steaming bowl of oden is incredibly comforting. In fact, in Tokyo, you don’t even need to go to a convenience store to get oden—you can have it in seconds at this spot.

Text & Photos by /MATCHA

Near the Central Avenue in Akihabara, there’s a building called “AKIBA karuchazu ZONE (AKIBAカルチャ0?黑ONEビル).” Right across from it is a smaller white house, as shown in the photo below.

This building houses various shops on each floor, such as “Akihabara Kurenn Lab” and “Nadesiko Sushi.” But the highlight is the row of vending machines at the building’s entrance. The photo shows several people standing around them.

Standing in front of the shop, I counted a total of eight vending machines. Among them, one stood out as a bit different—the white vending machine slightly to the right of center in the photo.

Look at that—it’s an oden vending machine. This very machine is said to be the origin of the trendy oden cans. It was installed by the third-floor shop “Chichibudeki (チチブデンキ).” Starting in the early 1990s, they began selling “oden cans,” which became a hit and spread all over Akihabara. Their popularity was unstoppable, and now oden vending machines can be found all over Japan.

Back when the oden can first became popular, Akihabara looked very different. There were very few restaurants or food shops—most were computer and anime stores. For those visiting multiple shops back then, the oden can was incredibly convenient—not only filling but also warming.

There are two flavor options for the oden: “beef tendon and daikon” or “fish cake and daikon.” Honestly, seeing oden sold from a vending machine for the first time felt pretty surreal.

Trying the “beef tendon and daikon” oden can.

This time, I tried the “beef tendon and daikon” version first.

After opening the can, it was still quite hot inside. Since it comes with a bamboo skewer, I started by eating the beef tendon. It was delightfully chewy and tender.

After the tendon, what’s next? How about some daikon? Making daikon at home is tricky—it’s all about getting it soft enough and well-seasoned. A good oden’s daikon plays a big role. This one was incredibly soft and flavorful. Maybe it absorbed so much flavor because it was simmered in the can.

The beef tendons were small but generous in portion. Sucking them up with the broth made for a satisfying bite.

What other kinds of cans are there besides oden?

Looking below the oden cans, you’ll spot something even more surprising—“ramen cans”! In a place like Akihabara, full of new and quirky things, it feels like the vending machines just keep getting weirder. Also, if you want room-temperature oden cans, you can buy them at the third-floor shop “Chichibudeki (チチブデンキ).” They make great souvenirs.

Chichibudeki is closed on Sundays, so you can’t buy souvenirs then. But the vending machines downstairs are open year-round, waiting for you.

Chichibudeki
Official Website
Address: 0101-0021 Chiyoda City, Tokyo, 3-12-15 Sotokanda, Chichibu Denki Building
Phone: 03-3253-3443
Business Hours: Monday–Saturday 11:00–18:00 (Closed on Sundays)
Access: 3-minute walk from the Electric Town Exit of Akihabara Station

Author: MATCHA
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