You do not have to know what to say when you place your order. But you have to be able to read what you are ordering. The ticket vending machine is a unique Japanese way of speeding up ordering. Later models even have English video screens. Read on to find out how to use them.
In many Japanese restaurants, you do not pay the cashier. And not the server. You pay in a ticket machine when you make your order, and then bring the ticket (食券. Shokken in Japanese) to the counter to get your food, or sometimes the server will pick them up at the table. In many places, what you get is actually a buzzer that will beep when your meal is ready.
In a traditional Japanese restaurant, at least if it is not the kind with live service staff who will actually make recommendations regarding today’s specials, you order your food from the waiter, based on what is written on the menu (that usually has photos showing what the food will look like). In some places, like some Saizeriya restaurants, you do not even have to guess what the dish is called — there is a number you write down on a slip and give to the server.
Some restaurant chains have taken this even further. They put a tablet computer with a menu application on the table, and you can choose from the dishes on the menu. Often, the application is in English, and there are English translations of the names of the dishes as well. Although the quality of the translation shrinks dramatically the smaller the restaurant chain is.
And there are those who have done away with the tablets, too. Here you are required to use your own mobile phone. You start by taking a photo of the provided QR code, and this connects you to the restaurant server with a unique identity for your table; it also displays the menu and lets you order dishes (and drinks) from your own mobile phone.
However, that is still a minority of places. In most places where there is automated ordering, there is a ticket machine, normally in the lobby, just before you enter the restaurant. Often there is more than one to speed up the ordering.
In the newer machines, the menu and ordering information are presented on a fairly large video screen. Usually, you can set the language as well; typically the choices are between English, Chinese, and Japanese. You open the ordering application and select the foods, usually ordered in different categories. If you are in a hurry, the todays choice ”Osusume (おすすめ)” category is your best choice. But if you are not too hungry, and if there are not too many people waiting in line behind you, browse through the different choices. That is the way you will find the interesting choices.
Be careful not to run into any traps — the natto breakfast is nothing for beginners — and remember that the dishes on the menu will look exactly like pictures — including the size. You probably did not understand how small Japanese dishes actually are until they arrived at your table.
Typically, in restaurants that serve set meals, you will get the entire meal on the tray, with the same order number for all items; but as a rule, you can order most of the items separately, if you do not want all the things in the set meal (which can contain a lot of different foods).
In the newer ticket machines, with video screens, you can typically pay with both barcode phone payments (works only if you have a Japanese bank account), cash, or credit card. The credit card machine may look like it is tacked on as an afterthought, but the separation of the credit card reader from the rest of the ordering system is actually a reflection of the different ways credit card transactions and cash transactions are handled in Japanese society. The credit card terminal is usually provided by a different company than the one providing the cash register that is integrated into the video console.
Occasionally the machines also give bonus points, typically in either of the three big Japanese bonus point systems, D-Point, Rakuten Point, and V-Point. While there are stores that let you redeem points and use them instead of cash, that is typically not the case with places where you order through a machine.
When you have placed your order and paid, you get a ticket that you give to the staff, and your receipt. Be careful when ordering — the machines often require you to make a number of additional choices and to push the ”order” button several times. Make sure your order went through if you do not get a ticket in the printout slot.
Video screen ordering is the norm in newer stores (when they do not use tablet ordering at the table). But the meal ticket machines are much older than that, and the first machines appeared as early as 1926. Apart from being electrified, the basic design of the meal ticket vending machines has not changed much since they were introduced. They are still a staple feature of ramen restaurants all around Japan. Of course, the old-style meal ticket vending machines work best when the number of choices is limited — like in a ramen restaurant.
Instead of a video menu, these original machines had the choices written on the buttons. You make your choice by pressing the appropriate button. The same dish, or set meal, may appear several times; in that case, it is probably different sizes of the servings.
When your ticket arrives, you are usually required to bring it to the service counter (although modern machines have eliminated the need for that step, giving the number directly to the kitchen staff so they do not lose any time — because this is fast food for real. There are even examples of noodle stores serving the customer before they have placed their order, that is how fast they are.
Normally, service may not be that quick, but it still is fast. You do not have to wait many minutes until either your buzzer goes off, or the staff calls your ticket number (so keep the ticket stub — you will need it when you pick up your meal).
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