As if having convenience stores or コンビニ (conbini) on every other block wasn’t already, well, convenient enough, Japan has blessed their residents with various types of vending machines to make their lives easier. Here are the 9 types we’ve come across from most to least common, each unique enough to spark this blogger’s interest:
1. Beverages
Although beverage vending machines may not seem so special, the ones found in Japan will give you four reasons to think again:
- They’re literally everywhere. You are guaranteed to see at least one or two machines nestled side-by-side on the sidewalk, every couple of kilometers. Of course, they’re found at highway rest stops by the roadways and train stations, but also in front of grocery stores or restaurants, inside malls, and even the streets of very small towns in the country.
- They carry both cold and warm beverages, as marked by blue and red buttons respectively. These choices are available in the widest variety of drinks, such as tea, coffee, juice, soup, flavoured water and more.
- Speaking of variety, many machines also supply energy drink shots and even beer (provided ID scanning I’m guessing).
- Seeing as how public transportation is extremely developed in Japan, many people carry a pass like San Francisco’s Clipper or New York’s MetroCard, which can also be used to purchase beverages.
2. Gacha-pon (toy capsules)
Gacha-pon are toy capsule vending machines, which are also found in the U.S., but offer more selection to the nth degree. Not only can they be found at train stations or inside malls, some find a home in chain-restaurant storefronts and along the streets of larger cities. Find out more about gacha-pon through my article ‘here’.
3. Cigarettes
Speaking from secondhand experience, smoking is a popular habit in East Asian countries, which is why you can find cigarette vending machines relatively easily in Japan. If you don’t want to walk those 5-10 minutes to a convenient store, you can pick up a pack after scanning your ID at one of these machines on the street.
4. Ice cream
If you ever find yourself suddenly in the mood for a frozen treat, Japan has you covered with ice cream vending machines. Guaranteed to supply a flavor whether you’re a fruity or chocolaty person, selections range from plain vanilla to strawberry cheesecake and white chocolate macadamia nut (as pictured). More flavors are depicted here.
These cool machines are found at mostly rest stops, arcades, malls or other large specialty stores (such as electronics) next to their beverage machine cousin.
5. Photo machines
For those who don’t know, Japan has plenty of プリクラ (purikura, sticker photo booths) at the local arcades. They are especially popular among students or young couples because you get to choose the picture layout and decorate them too.
But besides these brightly LED-lit machines, there’s another type of photo booth that claims my attention (pictured). Unlike プリクラ, these machines are for regular use, providing photos in a wide selection of sizes and prints for job interviews and even passports. I used it myself for preparing our marriage license and my visa.
They are found inside train stations and in front of some supermarkets and convenience stores.
6. ‘Brewed’ beverages
While regular drink machines are the norm, every once in a while, I also spy machines for brewed beverages. Most of the selections are teas and coffees, from matcha lattés to café au lait, but curiously enough, they also have Calpis and other pick-me-ups.
These are more likely to be found in train stations or rest areas called 道の駅 (michi no eki, roadside station). Our guess is that they are also heavily used in the break area within companies or universities.
7. Condoms
If cigarette vending machines didn’t surprise you, perhaps machines stocked with these little latex “gloves” will.
Honey tells me that condom machines are found pretty much always in front of independently-owned pharmacies, but they’re not always lying in wait.
Convenient for either the person who doesn’t want to purchase in-stores, or the one with an emergency, they offer a variety of styles of generic and name-brand rubbers at slightly more than the retail price.
8. Instant ramen/food
Years ago, instant food vending machines were very popular in Japan, but as Honey tells me, they’re a dying art. I thought they would be typical in big city train stations, but Honey said it may not be the case. After all, convenience stores, which are two to one city block in places like Tokyo, supply a larger and possibly fresher variety of ‘instant’ foods.
As amusing as it would be to spot someone removing a tray of spaghetti from a vending machine or having hot water dispensed into their cup ramen, you’ll have to search hard to come across that.
9. Vegetables
Many people often post pictures of produce vending machines, but they are actually quite rare, and I’ve only came across one. The machine, as shown, is likely owned by a farmer within the area who is licensed to sell vegetables not only in markets, but also privately.
We couldn’t tell if it’s temperature-regulated, but some of the produce were pretty cheap, such as broccoli for 100 yen ($0.91). Tucked away randomly inside a neighborhood, Honey and I may come back to fill up on our greens.
Vending machines…they’re everywhere.
So why does Japan have so many vending machines? Business Insider offers an interesting view at what it means for Japan’s socioeconomic prospect.
For me, they’re the definition of べんり (benri, convenient), and I’m wondering what types of vending machines I’ll come across next.
Honorable mentions:
During one of our travels, we also came across adjacent vending machines of umbrellas, undies, and french fries (or potato fry, as they call them). Unfortunately, I didn’t care to take pictures at the time, but they’re certainly out there, waiting for a hungry, pantsu-less wanderer in the rain.
—
-Waifu ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ
Because I'm Waifu 