Supplementing your diet with an alternative protein source will be easier than ever.

Although insects are known to be nutritious and can be an excellent source of protein, they are still considered a novelty food by many. In Japan, curious individuals who wish to indulge in some bugs would have to visit specialty stores that serve extremely exotic foods.

But searching high and low for edible insects in Japan may soon come to an end, as Japanese Twitter user @kajioshinji3223 spotted a conspicuous insect vending machine at Kokai Shopping District in Kumamoto. It was noticeably empty of products, but a sign promised that the contents would arrive before long.

▼ “This isn’t a first in Kumamoto, but a world first!!”

Decorating the machine were illustrations of what appeared to be ladybugs, wasps, and stink bugs, with a sign on top that read “Entomophagy has begun” (“Entomophagy” meaning “eating insects”). And if that wasn’t eye-catching enough, a large banner was also displayed at the side, declaring it to be the “World’s first entomophagy vending machine”.

Contrary to what the banner claimed, however, various insect vending machines have already been spotted around the world.

▼ Such as the ones in the Houston Museum of Natural Science…

▼ …the Montreal Insectarium in Canada…

▼ …and Butterfly Wonderland in Arizona.

Nevertheless, this latest installation could be Japan’s first bug vending machine. Coupled with the fact that there were 30 buttons on it and thus potentially as many types of bugs on offer, the tweet made netizens both interested and queasy:

“Edible insects?”
“Is this for real?”
“I can eat boiled locust, but bee larvae is just too much for me.”
“They’ll all become fish bait.”
“The ghosts of these dead insects will haunt you.”

No one knows when the goods will arrive, but given the ease of accessibility in vending machine form, one day we might see Japanese people munching arthropods for snack time. And when that day comes, perhaps we will all be enjoying scrumptious insect hotpots and partaking in crispy bug feasts.

Source: Twitter/@kajioshinji3223 via My Game News Flash
Featured image: Twitter/@kajioshinji3223