only in Japan*...

do you go into a cheap restaurant and buy your food from a vending machine, then hand the ticket to the person behind the counter/ waiter & shortly receive your food.

However, despite there being so many vending machines on street corners, on the middle of streets (on the pavement I mean), in shopping centres, at the top of mountains, outside supermarkets- pretty much everywhere, I would be stunned if I saw one like this: - [taken on holiday in England, where vending machines with food in, like crisps and chocolate are common place]

Japan is either too healthy for these- well, you can occasionally find vending machines selling ice creams, or it's part of their not walking around and eating at the same time, yet it still doesn't quite make sense to me. (Japanese machines mostly sell drinks - hot or cold bottles/ cans - inc 'Royal Milk Tea', 'Pocari Sweat' -sport drink and 'Calpis' - surprisingly refreshing in summer; cigarettes; and now only rarely, beer.)

* well, it may happen in other countries as well, but it isn't a regular occurence in other places I know of.