Tohan Co., Ltd. Tohan will begin demonstration testing of the “Story Vending Machine” in October 2025

[Tohan Co., Ltd.] Tohan to begin demonstration experiment of “Story Vending Machine” from October 2025
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Tohan Co., Ltd. Press Release: October 22, 2025 Tohan to begin demonstration experiment of “Story Vending Machine” from October 2025 ~Selected by the Agency for Cultural Affairs as part of the FY2020 Letter/Print Cultural Resources Utilization Promotion Project~ Tohan Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Hiroaki Kawakami) is pleased to announce the launch of a demonstration experiment of the “Story Vending Machine.” The machine will be deployed at the Setagaya Literary Museum in Tokyo from October 22nd, the Felissimo Chocolate Museum in Hyogo from October 24th, and Aoyama Gakuin University in Tokyo from November.
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About “Story Vending Machine” • Multiple short stories are registered in specially developed “story vending machines” and placed around town or within facilities. The service prints stories randomly at the user’s command and distributes them for free on the spot. • The story you register can be changed depending on the location, such as a part of a work closely related to the area or text related to an event or project. The length is around 500 to 2,500 characters, and it is a short, easy-to-read length that takes about 3 to 5 minutes. • This project has been selected for the Agency for Cultural Affairs’ “2025 Project to Promote the Utilization of Character and Printed Cultural Resources.” For details, please see here.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/26460/58/26460-58-a9ea4ee86da0e071f3209cbe66c5fe48-1503×2500.jpg The device itself is 118cm high x 38cm wide x 30cm deep (approximately 170cm high when a sign is attached, like the one on the left). It has a built-in control tablet and printer, and can be used by plugging it into a standard 100V outlet.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/26460/58/26460-58-31e2816c7260c4c7c715d4f5f0b44739-3345×2500.jpg When you select and press one of the “Story” buttons displayed on the screen (photo left), one of the stories registered for that word will be printed at random. Background and aims • This project was launched as part of Tohan’s internal venture program, “Business Design Lab.” Young employees are working on it as a team. The idea came from wanting to create an opportunity for people to come into contact with the works outside of bookstores and discover how fascinating the stories are. • By installing these in public facilities, corporate events, etc., people can encounter stories in the streets they visit every day. • Users can use the app for free, but installers are responsible for installation costs. It is also intended for use as a tool to revitalize local culture and tourism, and for promoting corporate events. • We will also consider collaborating with publishers and authors on various projects to introduce new and previously published books and encourage people to purchase them. Exhibition schedule 1. Setagaya Literary Museum (Setagaya Ward, Tokyo) Content: As part of the “Setagaya Literary Museum 30th Anniversary Collection Exhibition: Stories of the Setagaya Line Over 100 Years,” a joint project between Setagaya Literary Museum and Tokyu Corporation, we will be introducing stories related to Tokyu Setagaya Line stations. The “Story Vending Machine” will tour three facilities along the Setagaya Line, including the Setagaya Literary Museum.
Installation location/period: Setagaya Literature Museum October 22nd (Wednesday) – November 5th (Wednesday), 2025 Tamaden Cafe Yamashita Mid-November 2025 (planned) Seikatsu Kobo Gallery Mid-January 2026 (planned) 2. Felissimo Chocolate Museum (Kobe City, Hyogo Prefecture) Content: The museum is currently hosting a special exhibition by Sebastian Masuda, who was in charge of art direction for the Japanese version of the musical “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.” In conjunction with this, the museum will highlight 11 memorable scenes from the original novel, “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” (written by Roald Dahl, published by Hyoronsha), and convey the appeal of the original work along with the exhibit content. Installation location and period: FELISSIMO Chocolate Museum October 24, 2025 (Friday) – February 1, 2026 (Sunday) 3. Aoyama Gakuin University (Shibuya-ku, Tokyo and Sagamihara City, Kanagawa Prefecture) Content: On the Aoyama Gakuin University campus, we will introduce recommended books selected by students and original short stories written by students.
Installation location/period: Aoyama Gakuin University Aoyama Campus Late November 2025~ Sagamihara Campus: April 2026 (planned) For more information about this release