We caved in to curiosity and bought a mystery box from a strange vending machine in Akihabara

Each box comes with a random tale attached to it.

Our Japanese-language writer Kowloon Kurosawa was in Akihabara one day when he decided to visit a vending machine-lined, somewhat ramshackle corner of a street. The last time he passed by here was three years ago, when he was scared witless by the amount of chilling warning signs seen all over the place.

▼ It still pretty much looked the same as before…

▼ …even the signs warning people not to pee or poop remained as they had been.

But what caught his attention was the contents of a vending machine. Peering into one, he found a brandless paper-wrapped box priced at 490 yen (US$4.40). On it were some words he could not quite make out in the fading light of the late afternoon.

A quick scan revealed another machine stocked with the mysterious white boxes, some selling for 1,080 yen but larger in size.

Upon closer inspection, Kowloon realizeed that a short passage was attached to each (translation below).

“Dear Chiemi Hori,

It is a long therapy, but the medical teams in Japan are exceptional, and our doctors and nurses are always seeking out first-rate medical techniques. It may be a very demanding treatment, but everyone in Japan is supporting you. You will become the hope of other cancer patients, so let’s join our hearts and give it our best. And please make an appearance on TV again.”

It dawned on Kowloon that it was a letter of encouragement to Japanese singer Chiemi Hori, who underwent oral cancer surgery earlier this year. It became apparent that each white box held a different story, yet none of the text gave so much as a hint of their contents. Topics varied widely, but many turned out to be quite random and bizarre in nature.

“My body has changed. I worked at a kamameshi restaurant in Shinjuku when I was a university freshman. The kitchen leader closed the shop that night and told me that he was making a new dish. While I was writing down my thoughts on the dish, he began touching my hands and butt. I wanted to escape but couldn’t because of the cramped room. His gay chief gave me money for the deed. The amount is a secret.”

Wondering who would buy such things, Kowloon was startled to find two foreigners walking up and purchasing four of the mystery boxes.

In the 30 minutes that he waited around to see what kind of customers the machines attracted, he counted three groups of foreigners who happily bought them. It was obvious the machine was popular with tourists, even though some of them didn’t seem to be able to read the Japanese text, and their purchases made Kowloon’s fingers itch for one.

▼ Our brave reporter caved in to curiosity in the end and bought one.

▼ Here’s a video of his escapade.

The white box felt extremely light, and a gentle shake confirmed that something was indeed nestled inside. Hurrying home and opening up his prize, he gazed at it for a long while. And came to the conclusion… that he would not reveal its contents to us!

▼ All he said was that it was food. A long, black-colored food.

▼ A small letter was attached to the underside,
the text of which Kowloon refused to tell us.

Kowloon just would not budge no matter how much we interrogated him, merely directing us to Akihabara and finding out for ourselves with a mysterious smile on his face. One thing he did reveal though, was that among all the strange vending machines found around Akihabara, this place has one of the most unusual ones in Japan.

Vending machine information
Address: Tokyo-to, Chiyoda-ku, Kandasuda-cho, 2-19-7
東京都千代田区神田須田町2-19-7
Open: Always

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