Japan is famous for vending machines. While most sell soft drinks and coffee, there are some unusual ones selling batteries, umbrellas, and bottles of sake. Add insects to that list.
In Japanese, the word 昆虫食 (konchuushoku) means “insect eating”.
During the past few years, it seems, there has been an increasing number of vending machines selling insect snacks. Keep in mind, these types of vending machines are still are a rarity and there does appear to only be a handful across the country.
But they do exist in a variety of locations, including Nakano Broadway in Tokyo, Akihabara, Sakai in Osaka, Fukuoka, and more.
These snacks are rather expensive, with a can of Armor Tail Scorpion costing 1,500 yen ($14.10) and Zebra Tarantula reaching 2,600 yen ($24.45). You can get bug kebabs, crickets, and rhino beetles, as well as more, perhaps, palatable chocolate-covered grasshoppers.
昆虫食自動販売機があった🐜
タガメ、カブトムシ、ゲンコロウ…食べられるのね😲どんな味がするんだろ❓でも、ちょいと高いねぇ～😅 pic.twitter.com/5qhxu2ue7T— Bananamaya (@Daniel_masanari) June 3, 2020
https://twitter.com/embed/status/1298151447469514752
この昆虫食自販機はアツいな。https://t.co/TaKWcUnpBt
— ムシモアゼルギリコ（昆虫食愛好家） (@mushikui_net) August 17, 2020
https://twitter.com/embed/status/1296466883974246400
秋葉原にある昆虫食自動販売機を使ってみた！ 本物のカブトムシとコオロギを実食！（閲覧注意） https://t.co/R3aQqWjYbG #getnews #ガジェット通信 pic.twitter.com/rXgNJJmdBq
— ガジェット通信（公式） (@getnewsfeed) December 23, 2019
町中に昆虫食の自動販売機がありました。コオロギ、タガメ、オケラ、カブト虫、竹虫、幼虫蛹ミックスなどなど。意外といいお値段。 pic.twitter.com/od6IzlwDNk
— 関島岳郎 (@sekizima) May 22, 2020
https://twitter.com/embed/status/1289228802862637057
YouTubers have been doing tastings.
Yum!
(YouTuber Katsumata Museum did not seem to enjoy this can of bugs, calling eating it “truly a batsu game.”)
This YouTuber, however, said eating his bug was, “Enjoyable.”
https://twitter.com/embed/status/1243525760226189313
This YouTuber added different condiments.
昆虫食自販機が1Fにありました「おいしい虫さんたち」カルロ・ピノ(著)八重沢なとり (イラスト)、「食べられる虫ハンドブック」@jiyukokuminsha 、「じつは食べられるいきもの事典」宝島社「アタマのなかのアレをたべたい」@ssssskull_03 好評発売中！ #明屋書店 中野ブロードウェイ店 pic.twitter.com/YQQBW9txpP
— 明屋書店中野ブロードウェイ店 (@haruya_nakano) August 23, 2020
Recently, a handful of bugs-as-food books have been released in Japan, so this does seem to be a trend of some sort—albeit as of now, a minor one!
