Regional Charm Meets Vending Machine: "Furusato Acure" Delivers Tokamachi City's Special Products!

JR East Cross Station Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; President: Atsuko Ito) will launch "Furusato Acure," a vending machine that connects people with regional charm, at JR East Tokyo Station starting Wednesday, July 8, 2026. This initiative is in collaboration with "Tokamachi City, Niigata Prefecture," a city brimming with a unique blend of rich nature, traditional culture, and contemporary art.

"Furusato Acure" is a vending machine that allows for the casual promotion of regional charm within stations. For this initiative, we will be selling "Tokamachi City Catalog Gifts," "Uonuma Koshihikari" rice, and "Rice Flour Snowball" cookies manufactured by Tokamachi Sukoyaka Factory.

Furthermore, "Furusato Acure" will showcase the charms of Tokamachi City, including the Kiyotsu Gorge Tunnel, terraced rice fields, and experiential activities, through illustrations, photos, and videos utilized on the machine itself and its signage.

Please stop by when you visit Tokyo Station and experience the charm of Tokamachi City.

Vending Machine Image

Overview of "Furusato Acure" Vending Machine Connecting with Regional Charm: "Tokamachi City, Niigata Prefecture"

・Operating Period: Wednesday, July 8, 2026 – End date undecided

※Sales are scheduled to begin as soon as preparations are complete on Wednesday, July 8.

・Location: JR East Tokyo Station, outside the Marunouchi Underground North Ticket Gate, in the passage towards Marunouchi Oazo.

・Location Details:

Example Products Handled *Products handled are subject to change.

1. "Tokamachi City, Niigata Prefecture Catalog Gift" 1 book ¥5,400 (tax included)

This "Catalog Gift" is packed with the charm of Tokamachi City, allowing you to feel as if you've traveled to Tokamachi.

It offers gourmet food, lifestyle goods, and experience plans from Tokamachi City, Niigata Prefecture.

2. Uonuma Koshihikari Rice, Gorohei Rice Shop, 300g ¥800 (tax included)

This is the highest brand of carefully selected Uonuma Koshihikari rice, proudly produced in Tokamachi City, Niigata Prefecture.

Only farmers who meet the cultivation methods and quality standards can produce it, and it is characterized by its exquisite sweetness and stickiness, created by meltwater from snow and temperature differences.

3. TOIRO® Rice Flour Snowball, 1 bag (6 pieces) ¥480 (tax included)

These popular baked sweets are made with 100% rice flour from Tokamachi's Uonuma Koshihikari, manufactured at our own "Tokamachi Sukoyaka Factory." They are characterized by their crispy texture unique to rice flour and their melt-in-your-mouth crumbly texture, light and fluffy like softly falling snow, and so delicious you can't stop eating them.

※"TOIRO®" is a brand launched in October 2024 to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the establishment of Tokamachi Sukoyaka Factory.

About Tokamachi City, Niigata Prefecture

Tokamachi City, located in the southern part of Niigata Prefecture, is known as one of the world's heaviest snowfall areas. Thanks to the fertile land brought by the Shinano River and the pure meltwater from the mountains, it is renowned as the birthplace of the top-class brand "Uonuma Koshihikari" rice, and is also known as a "city of kimonos (textiles)" where traditional techniques live on.

Furthermore, as the venue for the "Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale," one of the world's largest international contemporary art festivals set in nature, it attracts widespread attention both domestically and internationally. It boasts a unique charm where rich nature, traditional culture, and contemporary art converge.

(Ma YANSON / MAD Architects "Tunnel of Light" (Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale artwork) Photo by Yamada Tsutomu) National Treasure Flame-shaped earthenware

About Tokamachi Sukoyaka Factory

This is a food factory established in Tokamachi City, Niigata Prefecture, in September 2014 as part of JR East Group's regional revitalization initiatives.

In the allergy-friendly dedicated line, which does not use ingredients containing wheat, eggs, or dairy products, cakes made with rice flour from Niigata Prefecture's Tokamachi Uonuma Koshihikari, a renowned brand rice, and soy milk are manufactured under the technical guidance of Takaki Bakery Co., Ltd., which possesses advanced technical capabilities.

In addition, the baked goods line produces pound cakes using ingredients from the eastern Japan region for the Shinkansen "Gran Class" and rice flour cookies that have obtained vegan certification.

These products are also adopted as return gifts for Tokamachi City's hometown tax donation program.

What is "Furusato Acure" Vending Machine Connecting with Regional Charm?

"Furusato Acure" was born from "Event Acure," one of Acure's vending machine formats.

"Furusato Acure" delivers the charm of various regions across Japan through in-station vending machines.

Japan is full of fascinating things.

Local specialties, seasonal flavors, and items rooted in regional cultures.

"Furusato Acure" delivers these encounters, which are not part of everyday life, conveniently and easily.

<About JR East Cross Station Co., Ltd.>

Company Name: JR East Cross Station Co., Ltd.

Headquarters: South Gate Shinjuku Building 6F, 5-33-8 Sendagaya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo

Established: April 1, 2021 (Reiwa 3)

President: Atsuko Ito

Capital: 4.11 billion yen (100% subsidiary of JR East)

The company is composed of four divisions: the Retail Company, which operates convenience stores such as "NewDays" and specialty stores; the Foods Company, which focuses on food and beverage manufacturing businesses including "Irorian Kiraku," "Bex Coffee Shop," "Honnoriyya," and "Ekiben-ya" (bento box shops); the Water Business Company, which operates the in-station vending machine business and original product businesses such as "FromAQUA" under the acure brand; and the Development Company, which operates in-station commercial facilities such as "ecute" and "Gransta."