We've all heard the stories that you can buy practically anything from vending machines, including once-worn schoolgirls' knickers (Google auto completes from "Japanese vending machines ...").
So I haven't seen those (we're in a very wealthy, respectable, expat part of Tokyo), but there are hundreds upon hundreds of drink vending machines, including by the back door/laundry of our apartment block. The prices do vary a little by location, but typically are Y100 to Y150 for a small can of soft drink/green tea/hot coffee. If the price is shown as white text on blue, then it will be cold; if it's on red, you'll get a small steel can of hot drink.
Almost always, the display is made up of empty (or possibly full) bottles and cans. Occasionally, the display is purely electronic, with helpful pop-up ads and weather updates.
Cigarette vending machines are not quite as ubiquitous, but there are still plenty around. And gobsmackingly cheap - around $5 for a small pack. They seem to congregate mainly around tobacconists.
(In Australia, not only is there no cigarette advertising anywhere, not even at point of sale, we've now gone to plain packaging. And a small pack costs more like $15. I think.)
Similarly, you could buy cans of beer and other alcoholic drinks from vending machines. Often these were sited near bottle shops, but not always.
Helpfully, we also saw a battery vending machine (in Nagano). Now why aren't they more common?
And occasionally, they give you just that little bit extra.
The boys needed some water, and we didn't have an empty bottle with us to refill. Finding machines that have plain water is a bit tricky (plenty of sports drinks and flavoured water, but less on the unadulterated stuff). We did find one, but for whatever reason, it wouldn't take our coins. We noticed that the machine next to it (they often huddle in groups) also had water, so we plunked our coins in (good chance to use up a bunch of those Y10 coins), and made our selection. And heard two distinct clunks.
The second item appeared to be a can of Coke. I'm pretty anti Coke, not least because it tastes vile. But I figured we might as well take it, it might be useful. Then one of the boys noticed the ad on the machine, and asked whether it had an operable ring-pull. Nope. Turns out it was a "Happy Can".
Inside the can, there were two substantial weights (presumably so the vending machinery could cope with it), and a small, cute-but-utterly-ineffective plug in speaker shaped like a cassette.
Hey, it made the kids happy!
So I haven't seen those (we're in a very wealthy, respectable, expat part of Tokyo), but there are hundreds upon hundreds of drink vending machines, including by the back door/laundry of our apartment block. The prices do vary a little by location, but typically are Y100 to Y150 for a small can of soft drink/green tea/hot coffee. If the price is shown as white text on blue, then it will be cold; if it's on red, you'll get a small steel can of hot drink.
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| This one pinched from the net, because I can't find the ones I took. |
Cigarette vending machines are not quite as ubiquitous, but there are still plenty around. And gobsmackingly cheap - around $5 for a small pack. They seem to congregate mainly around tobacconists.
Similarly, you could buy cans of beer and other alcoholic drinks from vending machines. Often these were sited near bottle shops, but not always.
 |
| Again, pinched from the net, as I can't find my pics of these. |
And occasionally, they give you just that little bit extra.
The boys needed some water, and we didn't have an empty bottle with us to refill. Finding machines that have plain water is a bit tricky (plenty of sports drinks and flavoured water, but less on the unadulterated stuff). We did find one, but for whatever reason, it wouldn't take our coins. We noticed that the machine next to it (they often huddle in groups) also had water, so we plunked our coins in (good chance to use up a bunch of those Y10 coins), and made our selection. And heard two distinct clunks.
The second item appeared to be a can of Coke. I'm pretty anti Coke, not least because it tastes vile. But I figured we might as well take it, it might be useful. Then one of the boys noticed the ad on the machine, and asked whether it had an operable ring-pull. Nope. Turns out it was a "Happy Can".
Inside the can, there were two substantial weights (presumably so the vending machinery could cope with it), and a small, cute-but-utterly-ineffective plug in speaker shaped like a cassette.
Hey, it made the kids happy!
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