I remember buying cans of hot coffee from a vending machine when we were there - the dang things were so hot we couldn’t hold them.
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One of my travel tips for Japan was to carry a bandana to be able to hold the vending machine coffee cans. (It’s a useful item in general.) Another was a compass to find your way out of the department stores.
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My phone battery kept dying so I had a lot of fun navigating the department stores and subway, and getting back to my hotel without Google Maps.
We went in 1994, so cellphones were not yet a thing.
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Japan was my last international trip, in January 2020. I relied on my cell phone a lot for navigation and translation.
Ringer Hut is a Japanese chain specializing in Nagasaki champon, a ramen dish with creamy sauce, vegetables, seafood, and meat.
This vending machine has that, filet katsu sandwiches, dumplings, and fried rice.
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(atop the machine, “the tasty spicy hot sauce made with garlic,” along the side, “the devil’s hot sauce”)
Knowing the typical Japanese palette, this is just regular mild hot sauce. 
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Indeed!
But I have to admit, for Japan, this Yamagata duo of grilled green pepper soy sauce and shichimi tougarashi has a little kick. Again, for Japan
Put in 1000 yen, you might get rubbish, you might get something desired, or you might get something like jewels.
That’s ok.
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These vending machine photos are super interesting.
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GOAT: a vending machine (filled with many sweetened drinks), slyly placed in front of a dentist’s office.
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Vending machines have been almost an art form in Japan as long as they’ve been around. I remember being amazed at what they held on my first visit back in the ‘70s.
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A short montage of some of the Japanese vending machines I’ve encountered since 2014:
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