The Lake Kizaki Y Shop, though, just has them mixed in with the rest of its vending machine lineup, in case someone is craving both a lemon squash soda and a love letter.
The impetus for the love letter vending machine, though, isn’t necessarily anime-related. The store’s owner simply thought “Getting a love letter makes people happy, and I thought it’d be nice if we could give people that feeling,” and mentions that a workshop of writers composes them.
The previous love letter vending machines we’ve seen have been capsule toy machines that sell love letters only, usually as part of a bank of other machines selling novelty goods.
While the concept of a love letter vending machine might seem like something you’d only find in Tokyo’s Akihabara or another otaku-oriented neighborhood, Omachi does have a sentimental anime connection, as the Lake Kizaki area served as the model for the setting of romantic comedy Please Teacher/Onegai Teacher.