{
  "id": 16684279,
  "title": "Baum vending machine in a Yokohama station lets us eat cake served on a luxury cruise ship",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/27/baum-vending-machine-in-a-yokohama-station-lets-us-eat-cake-served-on",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-27T01:00:36.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "SoraNews24",
    "slug": "soranews24",
    "url": "https://soranews24.com/2026/10/27/baum-vending-machine-in-a-yokohama-station-lets-us-eat-cake-served-on-a-luxury-cruise-ship/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A vending machine outside of Bashamichi Station, on Yokohama’s Minatomirai Line, offers Baumkuchen – a German spit cake – to curious passersby. Baumkuchen is a German specialty that has become popular in Japan. The cake is made from rice flour and is often given as a welcome gift aboard the luxury Asuka III cruise ship.\n\nThe vending machine, produced by Cocotomo Farm, is selling the cake at a discounted price to reduce food waste. The Asuka III Meets 47 Prefectures Project has selected Baumkuchen as a representative of Aichi Prefecture. The machine takes cash or various payment apps and sells both soft and hard varieties of Baumkuchen. The soft Baumkuchen has a moist, refined texture, while the hard variety is denser and chewy, with a distinct nut-like flavor from the brown rice.",
  "summary": "Our favorite kind wasn’t even the one we expected, but they were all the baum-dot-com. It takes a lot to surprise us when it comes to Japanese vending machines, considering we’ve seen everything from Sriracha to sushi meals being sold in them. While the latter might sound a bit dubious, we’ve had relatively good results […]",
  "key_points": [
    "Baumkuchen vending machine at Bashamichi Station in Yokohama",
    "German spit cake Baumkuchen available in Japan",
    "Discounted price to reduce food waste from Asuka III cruise ship"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}