Even in Japan's most obscure countryside you can’t walk a few metres without stumbling upon one of these machines. They wait in perpetual standby, ready to refresh the masses with delicious ice cold drinks. Vending machines have become an indispensable part of the country's landscape.

Although drinks vendors are the most common you can also find vending machines filled with snacks or even non-edible items. They are there to pre-empt our needs and provide them to us at the simple touch of a button, so it was only a matter of time before they started providing something I feel like I need at several times a day, every day of my life. Pizza.

Delivery is the usual source of pizza for those who want their meal to take minimal effort and minimal human interaction, but this pizza vending machine takes human interaction out of the equation completely, while minimising the wait time to just a few minutes.

These machines have been available in Europe for a few years but surprisingly, vending machine enthusiasts Japan have just got their first one, located in Hiroshima.

Japan's First Pizza Vending Machine

Decked out in the classic red, white and green, a colour combination known to be the bell to Italian cuisine loving Pavlov’s dogs, it stands proudly among the usual drink vendors.

There are only two items on the menu as of yet, margherita and 4 cheese. At 980 yen for margherita and 1280 yen for 4 cheese, it may seem a bit pricey. It’s cheaper than takeout pizza in Japan, but actually works out at a similar price to an average restaurant pizza. I guess you pay for the convenience.

It says ready in 3 minutes on the machine, but according to Twitter user, @SAKE_KAKUSI who tried it out, the whole process took about 5. The hot pizza then comes out of a slot in a takeout style box.

Possibly justifying the high price, each pizza comes with a pizza cutter, so you can easily enjoy your pizza there and then.

The tester also tweeted that overall it was a good experience. The pizza was hot and the blue cheese gave a feeling of sophistication.

Though pizza at a touch of a button is a dream for most, calorie counters probably won’t welcome this new temptation...