How to Use a Ticket Machine in a Japanese Restaurant

You’re all ready for a tasty ramen meal. You enter the restaurant but then get pointed outside to a ticket machine to place your order – a machine in Japanese. Don’t panic; we’re here to explain what to do now – and how to end up with the best meal in the house.

Yep, that’s right. Sometimes, when you visit a restaurant in Japan, the wait staff won’t take your order, and instead, they will point you to a ticket machine at the front of the shop or even outside it.

The idea is that you place your order and pay for your meal via the machine and then hand the ticket over to the staff, who will then bring you your meal once it’s ready.

At this point, two things are likely to go through your head ‘yay, I don’t need to make a fool of myself trying to order’ or ‘oh, heavens, I’m going to order something I don’t like, or that’s ridiculously expensive.’

The good news is the first one hopefully won’t happen with a little help – the second one definitely won’t!

Yes, if you’ve never done it before, and if you don’t read Japanese, using a Japanese food ticket machine can be super confusing, but don’t worry, this guide to using a Japanese restaurant vending machine is here to help.

Why Do Some Restaurants Have Food Ticket Machines

There are a couple of reasons, the first being that it’s a good way to keep costs down. If it’s a smaller restaurant, you might only need the chef and one other staff member to collect the orders, take the money, make the food, and deliver it.

It also reduces the risk of error, as it’s assumed that if the customer placed the order themselves, they know what they want to eat, so it’s not likely that the serving staff will take the order down incorrectly or miss off an item.

Of course, that assumes that you understand what’s written on the machine, which might not always be the case, but that’s part of the fun of ordering from a ticket vending machine.

It’s also faster. There’s no waiting for the waitress to hand you the menu, let you sit, take your order, and then attract their attention to get your bill. You can just order, pay, eat, and go.

These machines are most commonly used in less expensive, or smaller places that sell dishes like ramen, soba, udon, or Japanese curry – and lots of Japanese restaurant chains use them.

The good news is that while it might look like there are a lot of dishes on a ramen ticket machine, because many Japanese restaurants only serve one kind of dish, you’re unlikely to walk in somewhere feeling like ramen and find yourself ordering steak and chips!

The main difference between what you thought you were ordering is likely to be the type of broth used or the toppings on your dish, so unless you’re a fussy eater or there’s something you really don’t like, you probably won’t go too far wrong. So, here we go…

Before You Start

Before you head to the food ticket machine to place your order, there are a couple of things to do.

Check the Seating

The first is to check that there are seats in the restaurant you are choosing.

If not and you’re happy to wait, it’s okay to place your order which will get you a place in the queue for a table. The staff will then seat you as soon as they can.

Don’t worry; your food won’t get made until you hand over the ticket you get from the machine.

If you’re in a rush, though, you might want to move on if the place is full – especially if there’s a group of you who want to sit together.

If it’s just one or two of you, then chances are a seat will free up faster than finding somewhere else to eat.

Oh and do note that if the restaurant has a queue, you all need to be in it.

This is so the staff can work out where to seat you, but also so other customers know how many people are ahead of them in the queue.

Don’t leave one person standing while the others go and do something else.

Try and Decide What You’re Ordering

See if there is a menu, pictures or models of plastic food that many Japanese restaurants use to show what they sell outside the restaurant before you enter.

If there is, you might want to try and choose what you want to eat before you get to the machine so that you’re not holding up other people.

If you do this, and there isn’t an English name, you probably won’t remember the Japanese letters used to describe the dish, so take note of the price, which might help you identify it on the machine or, sometimes, there might be a number which might help you.

I have also had to go back out and point to the dish before now, so, if there are pictures or models, maybe also just snap a quick phone pic of the one you want just in case you can’t find it once inside.

How to Use the Machine

Once you get to the machine, put the money in first.

If you’re ordering 2-3 things that might seem counterintuitive, how do you know how much you’re going to spend until you’ve ordered? But that’s just the way it works.

I still get this wrong sometimes and wonder why nothing happens when I press the buttons!

You will get change, so just make an educated guess at what you’ll spend to get started.

Basically, if you see numbers and the sign for yen (which might be ¥ or 円 ) on the button, that’s the price.

Once you’ve put in money, exactly what to do next depends on the machine. Some might light up with all the dishes you can now buy from the amount you have put in, others just wait for you to push them.

Picking a Dish

Now, at this point, there are four ways to potentially choose your dish.

1. Look for the English Button

If it’s a modern machine, you might find you can change the menu to English. In that case, things are pretty easy from this moment on. Just pick what you fancy from the touchscreen.

2. Check the Pictures

The next best option is that there are pictures of the dishes on the buttons or screen.

It won’t give you specific details about the dish, but it will give you an idea of whether your ramen is topped with pork or tempura prawns. Just pick the one that looks most tasty to you.

If it is an older-style machine, before you press make sure you’ve definitely picked the one that the picture corresponds to. I’ve seen a few machines where I wasn’t 100 percent sure and had to count down from the top!

If you see these letters セット on the button, and there are a few things in the picture that means all those things come as a set – so, in the example here, you could choose rice or beer with your meal.

3. Push the Top Left Button

The trickiest situation is when there are only words in Japanese on the buttons. In this case, it all depends on how brave you are, but there are a few different approaches to try…

You can go for the most popular dish on the menu. These are usually the two dishes on the top left buttons.

You might not know what you’re getting until they arrive, but since they are the restaurant’s most popular dishes, there are chances they’ll be good.

The bravest option – just push a button from the top row, or, on a bigger menu, the first or second row. And see what turns up!

4. Ask for Help

Or, ask the staff for help. The phrase osusume wa nan desu ka? (say it like o sue sue meh wa nan des ka) translates to roughly ‘what do you suggest?’ Just press the one they recommend – and see it as an adventure!

If you forget, the whole phrase, osusume means recommend, and desu ka (pronounced deska) turns anything into a question, so that should get you an answer even if you wouldn’t pass a grammar quiz using it!

Other Useful Tips

The machines may not take very large notes (over 5000 yen), but don’t worry if that’s all you have. The staff will make change for you if you show them the note.

If there’s a number on the button – ie a 3, 6, or 10 – and it’s something that comes in pieces like gyoza dumplings that number tells you how many are in a portion. So you can pick the right size.

If a button is blue it can mean something comes cold, while red means hot. This doesn’t always follow, but just be aware of it.

Every machine is different but generally, the main dishes will be the top set of buttons.

Additions to meals often come straight after the main dishes. Price will give you a good idea if this is the case – if you see something priced at 100 or 200 yen, it’s likely to be something like beansprouts – or もやし as it will be written – that you can order as an extra.

The last rows of the machine are usually drinks or side dishes. Remember, if the letters are all the same, but there is also a number, that’s portion size.

It might also be helpful to learn the kanji for big – 大 – or small – 小 – as you might also see those to show a portion size of something like rice.

If this is something you really dislike or don’t eat, you could try finding it on this list of common ramen ingredients from people who speak Japanese way better than I do right now, so you might recognize the symbols for that and know at least not to order that (I wouldn’t suggest this route if you have allergies) – but, please don’t hold up the queue while you try and work things out.

Once You’ve Ordered

Once you’ve chosen, the machine will spit out a ticket – or two or three – depending on how many things you’ve ordered. (so don’t just push random buttons, or you’ll buy things you don’t want!)

It may then spit out your change if it doesn’t, don’t panic. There will be a button or lever to press that will then cause the change to come out.

Take your ticket and either give it to your server when you sit down or put it on the table. They’ll pick it up and deliver it to the kitchen. They normally tear the ticket in half and keep the other half, as that confirms what you ordered.

If you’re at a ramen restaurant, they might ask you a question at this point. It’s asking you if you want to customize your order in any way – ie noodles cooked softer, less oil, more spice – unless you’re a ramen connoisseur, then you probably just want to go with it as it comes.

In about 10 minutes, your dinner will be served.

What’s That on the Table?

When you sit down in a restaurant, you might find a few bottles and other things in front of you. These are condiments you can add to your dish to change the taste. It’s fine to add these.

Exactly what you’ll find will vary depending on what type of restaurant you’re in, but you might find…

Soy sauce – this will be a thin brown liquid

Clear thin sauce – probably vinegar, which you can mix with soy sauce to make a dipping sauce

Worcestershire Sauce – if there’s a gloopy, thick brown sauce, it might be a thickened version of Worcestershire Sauce. It’s usually used with fried dishes like katsu.

Chilli oil – this is usually an orange liquid or a browny liquid with obvious seeds in it.

Sesame seeds or sesame oil – the seeds are easy to recognize, the oil, will be a yellow oil. Both add a delicious nutty taste to your meal.

Chilli flakes – these look like a red powder.

Seven Spice – if the powder has a few different colours in it it’s probably a mix of different spices known as seven spice. Either way, it will add some heat.

Minced Garlic – easy to recognize by the familiar smell.

It probably goes without saying, but if in doubt, do not add heaps to your bowl, add a little to your spoon (or a side dish if there is one).

You’ll also find chopsticks and spoons – use the chopsticks to lift the ingredients out of the soup and the spoon for the broth – and yes, it’s okay to slurp. Also, feel free to drink the broth directly from the bowl if you like.

When Your Meal is Finished

Keep an eye out around you and see what other people in the restaurant are doing with their dishes.

In some places, putting your dish up on the counter or carrying it to a side area when you leave is polite. In others, it’s fine to leave it on the table.

You’ve already paid your bill, so once you finish eating, you can head out and let the next person have your seat.

You shouldn’t really sit around for long after finishing your meal in a ticketed restaurant – it’s okay if it’s not busy, but if there are no spare seats, move on fairly soon after you finish.

If you want to say thank you on the way out, use the phrase gochisousama deshita (go shee so sa ma de shi ta) which is the way of saying thank you after you’ve eaten.

And there you have it – how to order your meal with a ticket machine in Japan.

If you’re on a budget it’s definitely a skill you’re going to want to learn as the meals are often inexpensive, and you always know what you’re spending.

So, there you have it. Our guide to ordering from a restaurant in Japan with a ticket machine. Did we miss anything? Then let us know in the comments – or ask any other questions and we’ll try and answer them.

There is a chain restaurant in Japan called Ichiran which follows most of the advice above, but has a few extra steps – so, if you’re planning on visiting a branch of Ichiran on your trip, you might want to look at our guide to ordering specifically at Ichiran so you know what to expect there too.

Also, let us know your favorite food ticket machine restaurant in Japan so other people can find somewhere good to try.

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