In 30 seconds
At a ramen ticket machine in Japan, check the queue instructions, choose your meal, pay as directed, and take your ticket and change. Then check what happens to the ticket: some shops collect it; others send the order automatically and ask you to keep it until your number is called. Unsure? Say この食券はどこに出せばいいですか — “Where should I hand in this meal ticket?”
Choose your situation: Ticket first or queue first? · Reading the buttons · After you buy · Wrong ticket or no ticket · Waiting for your number.
How to use a ramen ticket machine in Japan: the short version
A meal ticket is shokken, 食券. The machine is kenbaiki, 券売機. These machines appear at ramen shops and other casual restaurants.
- Look at the entrance. Check whether the line is for buying tickets or waiting for seats. Ask if it is unclear.
- Choose the right meal. Check the dish, quantity, eat-in or takeout choice, and any extras. Switch to English if the machine offers it.
- Follow that machine’s payment instructions. Some ask for cash first; touchscreens may ask you to choose before paying. Check the supported payment methods and banknotes.
- Collect everything. Take your ticket, receipt if issued, change, and payment card. A change or return button may need pressing.
- Find the next step. Hand in the ticket when asked, or keep it and watch or listen for your number.
You do not need to memorise the whole screen. Read the menu before stepping up when possible, and ask for help if you are unsure. If you have a food allergy, use the food-allergy conversation before purchasing.
Should you buy the meal ticket before joining the queue?
There is no single queue order for every restaurant. If the sign is unclear, ask staff before walking past people who are waiting.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning | Use |
|---|---|---|---|
いらっしゃいませ | irasshaimase | Welcome | Staff greeting as you enter; no reply is needed |
食券を先に買えばいいですか | shokken o saki ni kaeba ii desu ka | Should I buy a meal ticket first? | Ask at the entrance |
先に食券を買ってください | saki ni shokken o katte kudasai | Please buy your meal ticket first | Staff reply: go to the machine |
先にこちらにお並びください | saki ni kochira ni onarabi kudasai | Please line up here first | Alternative reply: join the indicated line |
食券を買ったら、どこで待てばいいですか | shokken o kattara, doko de mateba ii desu ka | Where should I wait after buying the ticket? | Check before taking an empty seat |
Read the machine: sold out, takeout, cancel, and change
An older button machine may use shorter labels than a touchscreen.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning | Use |
|---|---|---|---|
売切 | urikire | Sold out | Also written 売り切れ; choose another item or ask staff |
店内 | tennai | Eat in / inside the shop | Choose when eating there, if this option appears |
持ち帰り | mochikaeri | Takeout | Also called テイクアウト |
戻る | modoru | Back | Go to the previous screen before confirming |
取消 | torikeshi | Cancel | Check the screen |
おつり | otsuri | Change | Collect the money returned by the machine |
返却 | henkyaku | Return | A return control |
A bowl photo may show toppings that cost extra. Check the selected item and total before paying. Check the payment symbols and accepted banknotes on the machine. If your payment method is not supported, ask staff which option you can use.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning | Use |
|---|---|---|---|
英語にできますか | eigo ni dekimasu ka | Can this be switched to English? | Point to the screen |
現金だけですか | genkin dake desu ka | Is it cash only? | Check the available payment method |
使い方を教えていただけますか | tsukaikata o oshiete itadakemasu ka | Could you show me how to use it? | Ask before confirming an unclear selection |
この一万円札は使えますか | kono ichiman-en-satsu wa tsukaemasu ka | Can I use this 10,000-yen note? | Show the note |
After buying: hand in the ticket or wait for your number?
Keep the ticket until staff or the shop’s instructions tell you what to do.
| What happens here? | What you do next |
|---|---|
| Staff collects the meal ticket | Give it to the indicated person or place. Keep any stub they return. |
| The machine sends the order automatically | Keep your ticket, wait as directed, and match the called or displayed number to yours. |
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning | Use |
|---|---|---|---|
この食券はどこに出せばいいですか | kono shokken wa doko ni daseba ii desu ka | Where should I hand in this meal ticket? | Ask after buying |
こちらでお預かりします | kochira de oazukari shimasu | We'll take it here | One possible reply: hand it over |
そのままお持ちください。番号でお呼びします | sono mama omochi kudasai. bangō de oyobi shimasu | Please keep it. We'll call your number | Alternative reply: hold on to the ticket and wait |
Manga scene · Read from right to leftRead from top to bottom
Leo keeps the ticket and listens for his number
Leoすみません。この食券はどこに出せばいいですか。
Excuse me. Where should I hand in this meal ticket?
Restaurant staffそのままお持ちください。番号でお呼びします。
Please keep it. We'll call your number.
Leo四十二番は、もう呼ばれましたか。
Has number forty-two been called yet?
Restaurant staffはい。食券を持って、こちらへどうぞ。
Yes. Please bring your ticket over here.
Read the scene descriptions
- Leo: After buying a meal ticket numbered 42, Leo holds it at the self-service restaurant counter and asks staff what to do with it.
- Restaurant staff: The staff member asks Leo to keep the ticket until his number is called. Leo follows that instruction and waits beside a seat, leaving the pickup counter clear.
- Leo: After waiting, Leo hears a call but misses the number. He returns to the counter with the ticket he kept and asks whether number 42 has been called.
- Restaurant staff: The staff member confirms that 42 has been called and directs Leo to the pickup counter with his ticket. Leo checks the meal against the ticket before taking it.
Leo keeps the ticket, waits, and checks the number he missed. The staff’s reply directs him to pickup with his ticket.
Two real examples: Ichiran and Matsuya
Ichiran’s official system guide describes handing the ramen preference sheet and meal tickets to staff after using the call button at the counter. A ticket and a preference sheet have different jobs: payment does not fill in your noodle and flavour preferences.
Matsuya’s official self-service guide (PDF) describes an automatic order when you buy a ticket. You keep it while waiting; when your number appears in the ready area, bring the ticket to the counter. After eating, return your tableware to the return counter.
Both official guides were checked on October 1, 2026.
Bought the wrong ticket? Ask staff before buying again
Before payment, use the screen’s back or cancel option if you understand it. After payment, show the ticket to staff, explain the mistake, and ask what is possible. Buying a second ticket immediately can leave you with two orders.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning | Use |
|---|---|---|---|
すみません、食券を間違えて買ってしまいました | sumimasen, shokken o machigaete katte shimaimashita | Excuse me, I bought the wrong meal ticket | Show the ticket you bought |
変更できますか | henkō dekimasu ka | Can I change it? | Point to the item you meant to choose |
食券を見せてください | shokken o misete kudasai | Please show me the meal ticket | Staff needs to check the purchase |
変更はできません | henkō wa dekimasen | We cannot change it | A possible refusal; ask what options remain |
If no ticket appears, ask for help before paying again. Tell staff whether you inserted cash or tried to pay by card, and show the screen or payment record if available. A missing ticket alone does not tell you whether payment succeeded.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning | Use |
|---|---|---|---|
お金を入れましたが、食券が出ません | okane o iremashita ga, shokken ga demasen | I put the money in, but no meal ticket came out | For a cash payment; show staff which machine you used |
おつりが出ません | otsuri ga demasen | My change has not come out | Ask staff to check before pressing unfamiliar controls |
支払いが完了しているか確認していただけますか | shiharai ga kanryō shite iru ka kakunin shite itadakemasu ka | Could you check whether the payment went through? | Ask before attempting another payment |
Hear your number, collect the meal, and find the return counter
In a number-call system, compare the number with your ticket. Orders may finish in a different order from purchases. If you missed the announcement, ask staff to repeat it or show you the display.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning | Use |
|---|---|---|---|
四十二番でお待ちのお客様 | yonjūni-ban de omachi no okyakusama | Customer waiting with number 42. | A practice call; compare it with the number on your ticket |
番号をもう一度お願いします | bangō o mō ichido onegai shimasu | Could you repeat the number? | When you missed a call |
四十二番は呼ばれましたか | yonjūni-ban wa yobaremashita ka | Has number 42 been called? | If you missed the call, show the ticket and ask |
まだです。もう少しお待ちください | mada desu. mō sukoshi omachi kudasai | Not yet. Please wait a little longer. | One possible reply: keep your ticket and wait |
こちらへどうぞ | kochira e dōzo | This way, please. | If staff call you forward, bring the ticket and follow the direction |
お待たせしました | omatase shimashita | Thank you for waiting | Staff say this as they hand over or bring your meal |
これは私のですか | kore wa watashi no desu ka | Is this mine? | Show your ticket and confirm before taking a tray |
受取口 | uketoriguchi | Pickup counter | Where you collect the meal in a self-service shop |
返却口 | henkyakuguchi | Return counter | Where used trays and dishes go |
食器はどこに返せばいいですか | shokki wa doko ni kaeseba ii desu ka | Where should I return the dishes? | Ask if the return area is unclear |
Replace 42 with your ticket number. A number in a waiting list is not necessarily ready for collection; follow the ready display or staff’s call.
Practise one number-call conversation
Take the right next step with your meal ticket
Check the queue → buy carefully → collect the ticket and change → follow the shop’s handoff or number-call instructions. If a purchase goes wrong, speak to staff before paying again. Keep the ticket until you know it is no longer needed.
If there is no machine and staff takes your order, use Japanese phrases for ordering food. For choosing a seat and asking for the bill, return to the Japanese restaurant phrase guide.
Street Check · 1–3 minutes
Try the real-world task
Ask where the meal ticket goes, listen for the shop’s answer, and take that next step.
Ready means:
- I can ask whether to buy a ticket before joining the queue.
- I can distinguish handing over a ticket from keeping it for a number call.
- I can ask staff for help after buying the wrong ticket.
After this
What you may need next
Build the route
