No fuss, no muss, no people.

The banana cream-filled cakes made by Tokyo Banana are such a famous souvenir present that our writer Mr. Sato always takes some with him when he ventures out of the metropolis. That has kind of backfired though, as his friends and family have gotten so many Tokyo Banana cakes that they’re getting a little tired of them, and their thanks are usually preluded by “Oh… again?”

And it just so happened that once again, Mr. Sato had plans to do some traveling and meet a friend. However, as he was waiting on the Shinkansen platform for his train, he remembered that he had forgotten to pack a present.

With his train due to depart in mere minutes, our reporter panicked and surveyed the platform. In the distance, he spotted a store and as he got closer could read Tokyo Banana Express on the sign.

He was worried about the issue of Tokyo Banana overkill, but it would have to do. By the time he arrived, he noticed that there were no people there. Afterward, he researched and found it was one of two new unmanned stores on platforms 16 and 17 of Tokyo Station that started in April of last year.

The instructions were pretty straightforward. Just walk into the dotted area, pick up what you want to buy, pay, and leave the dotted area.

It seems that once you enter the dotted area, cameras follow your every move, and sensors in the display case can detect which items are removed.

Our writer opted for a box of eight cakes.

By the time Mr. Sato walked to the register, his items were already rung in, and he didn’t need to scan anything. It was just a matter of confirming the items and pressing “next” to pay for them.

No cash was accepted, but he had the option to use credit cards, bar codes, or contactless payment services.

There were also some gift bags hanging beside the register, which were very handy, so he took one to place his present in. The whole process only took about a minute, and Mr. Sato had no problem catching his train.

He loved the system a lot, but only wished products other than Tokyo Banana were sold, so he doesn’t end up burning out more people on them.

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