ramen from a pop idol vending machine

tokyo’s noodol cafe lets users choose an idol to serve them ramen

the ‘noodol cafe‘ just opened in tokyo’s akihabara district, but the restaurant offers a special service in addition to its ramen: a vending machine that lets users choose to be served their food by one of a number of japanese idols, the attractive young women who often work as models or media personalities.

installed along the front counter, the vending machine features the images of various personalities, currently including pinup model mayuka kuoda, high-schooler ayano hayashi (once involved in the pop group AKB48) and model ayaka nomde.

once selected, the chosen ‘idol’ appears in person to pour hot water over a cup of ramen instant noodles. patrons can then chat with the star for the three minutes’ time required for the dish, before leaving the counter to eat on their own.

the vending machine experience, including instant ramen, costs 800 yen (approximately 10.30 USD).

the ‘icon vending machine’ at the noodol cafe image courtesy of kotaku

readers of japanese can view the schedule of the availability of each pop star

some of the idols, all from platinum productions agency, at noodol cafe image courtesy of apalog

via kotaku