Vending Machines

Wherever you go in Japan you will encounter vending machines. They seem to sell almost everything under the sun including hot and cold canned drinks, alcohol, cigarettes, food items and even small clothing items. Vending machines grace almost every corner as you are walking or driving around.

The Japanese people seem to enjoy their snacks and although they are many traditional snacks and foods available, many North American stores and chains have made it to Japan. You will often come across MacDonalds, Starbucks and 7-11. Although at those locations you might find foods similar to what you would order in North America like french fries, each chain has added Japanese style foods and snacks to their menus.

I walked into a 7-11 the other day after visiting a tourist area near the Pacific Ocean. Not only does 7-11 here sell many of the items we would expect to see in a convenience store (drinks, chips, chocolate etc) they also sell many traditional foods. This includes dried quid and fish, alcohol, Japanese candy and sweets, and raw fish.

Probably the strangest items the Japanese have seen in a vending machine would be a car. In 2008, a Smart Car vender put a Smart Car in a vending machine at the Shibuya Station (a station in Tokyo). The vending machine held a full-sized car with two choices, coupe or cabrio. It was not a true vending machine in the sense that you could purchase a car from it on the spot but was used as a marketing tool to promote the car. Pushing the button on the machine provided you with a tube containing information and pamphlets on the models, available features and colours as well as purchasing information such as dealers.

I am not sure if purchasing a car from an venting machine will become become an option in Japan but with the number of other items you can already purchase through this method, I would not be surprised if it will be seen in the future!