When visiting Japan, my children really enjoy buying drinks from vending machines. My younger child, in particular, says “Oh, a vending machine!” with excitement as soon as we exit the arrival gate and see the first vending machine. It’s almost like a ritual or routine for them to buy something. While my child enjoys their drink sitting on a bench in the arrival lobby, I usually exchange currency. After finishing their drink, they often comment, “Drinks from Japanese vending machines never disappoint (meaning, they’re all delicious).”
In Japan, vending machines are called “jidou-hanbai-ki (自動販売機)”, and the abbreviated term “jihan-ki (自販機)” is widely used in daily conversations. It’s easy to use them by simply inserting coins and pressing a button, and recently, touch-screen models have become more common. Typically, vending machines are frequently restocked, and the consistent service they offer everywhere is a big appeal.
Why Does Japan Have So Many Vending Machines?
In Japan, vending machines can be found not only in urban areas but also at stations, schools, hospitals, offices, tourist spots, mountain trailheads, campgrounds, and residential areas. The number of vending machines is said to be around 4 million, which means there is roughly one machine for every 30 people.
The following reasons can be considered behind this widespread presence:
Safety: Japan has a low crime rate, so the risk of vending machines being vandalized or stolen is low, making it easier to install many vending machines.
Efficient sales method: Especially in urban areas with high labor and real estate costs, vending machines are an efficient sales method that helps reduce personnel expenses.
Meeting consumer needs: For busy Japanese people, vending machines provide a convenient way to purchase drinks and snacks 24/7.
Wide range of products: In addition to cold and hot beverages and food, a wide range of products, including daily necessities, are available for purchase. There are various features designed to keep users engaged and prevent monotony.
Technological advancements: In addition to cash payments, vending machines now accept IC cards and smartphone payments, making them accessible to everyone.
Contactless reassurance: Since 2020, there has been an increased focus on contactless shopping, which has further enhanced the value of vending machines.
In the UK, vending machines are not commonly seen. I believe this is the case in many other countries as well, as I’ve heard that they are often destroyed, making it pointless to keep them in place. Indeed, since vending machines contain both products and cash, they are vulnerable to theft if damaged.
Fortunately, in Japan, the vending machine business thrives, which allows both small stores and large retail outlets to run unmanned businesses simply by placing vending machines in front of their shops. Business owners typically operate their stores during the day and let the vending machines generate income at night.
What Can You Get from Vending Machines in Japan
Japanese vending machines offer not only common products such as hot drinks, cold drinks, alcoholic beverages, snacks, and ice cream, but also a wide range of essential items for daily life, such as rice balls, bread, ramen, udon, eggs, meat, cigarettes, fruit, flowers, masks, umbrellas, batteries, and magazines.
In particular, service areas and drive-ins offer hot foods such as hamburgers, ramen, and udon, and the machines are highly advanced, providing a diverse selection of products. I have seen various vending machines since I was a child, and they seem to keep evolving.
Convenience stores like Family Mart also feature unmanned shops equipped with vending machines that offer their own products, such as staple items like rice balls, bread, sandwiches, cup noodles, and snacks, making it easy to make purchases.
SIM Card from Vending Machines
In Japan, there are vending machines that sell SIM cards, primarily located in airports. These machines are convenient for travellers who want immediate internet access upon arrival. They offer various types of SIM cards based on data plans and usage duration, and they are available 24/7. Unlike mobile Wi-Fi rental services, SIM cards from vending machines do not require returns, making them a hassle-free option.
Unique Products at Tourist Spots
At tourist destinations, you can often find unique vending machines selling locally produced foods and souvenirs. It’s easy to imagine that vending machines offering regional specialty drinks at various tourist spots.
At Nara Park, where visitors can feed deer with “shika-senbei (鹿せんべい, deer crackers), there are vending machines selling that, operating 24 hours a day, to replace the deer cracker stalls and souvenir shops that close in the evening.
Moreover, vending machines selling artwork by artists can also be found. These are typically installed near tourist spots or art museums. I encountered one of these in Kasama City, Ibaraki Prefecture, known for its Kasama pottery. In this machine, small capsules from a gacha/gasha-pon (ガチャ/ガシャポン, capsule toy vending machine) contained miniature Kasama pottery pieces. Larger vending machines might offer bigger art pieces for sale.
Mystery Boxes
Mystery box vending machines sell random items whose contents are unknown at the time of purchase, commonly toys and accessories. These machines are especially popular among young people who enjoy the element of surprise. They offer a unique experience where buyers purchase an item without knowing what’s inside.
For example, in Tokyo’s Akihabara district, vending machines sell mystery boxes containing anime and game-related figures, keychains, and stickers. Additionally, in various tourist spots and shopping malls across Japan, vending machines offer mystery boxes filled with local specialties or souvenirs.
While these items are typically sold through standard-sized vending machines, the widely popular gacha/gacha-pon capsule machines in Japan can also be considered a type of mystery box experience.
Live Crabs
There are vending machines that sell live shrimp and crabs, primarily intended for people who enjoy fishing. These vending machines are often found near fishing spots or outside fishing gear stores, providing a convenient way to purchase fresh bait 24/7.
Bugs
Vending machines that sell insects generally fall into two categories:
One type of insect vending machine sells ornamental insects, such as rhinoceros beetles and stag beetles, which are particularly popular with children during the summer vacation. These vending machines are installed to cater to the needs of insect enthusiasts and children who want pets. They are also sometimes purchased for educational purposes, providing a learning opportunity.
On the other hand, driven by the recent trend of edible insects, some vending machines now sell insects for consumption. Crickets, water bugs, grasshoppers, and even scorpions are available, offering high nutritional value and positioning insects as an environmentally friendly protein source. The sale of edible insects is gaining attention as a new food option, and more people are purchasing them out of curiosity.
Oxygen
There are also vending machines that even sell oxygen! These are particularly useful for oxygen supplementation after sports or in high-altitude areas and are commonly found in urban areas, tourist spots, and outdoor locations.
Warm Corn Soup
During our stay in Japan, my younger child enjoys trying a variety of drinks. In summer, they often choose cold beverages, while in winter, they frequently purchase warm corn soup or hot cocoa. As for myself, I often buy uniquely Japanese drinks like green tea (緑茶), hojicha (ほうじ茶), barley tea (麦茶), or Sokenbicha (爽健美茶). In winter, I frequently opt for hot black coffee.
One time, I decided to try corn soup after seeing my child enjoy it, and I was pleasantly surprised by how delicious it was. I think corn soup is a perfect option for breakfast. In Japan, corn soup has been popular for a long time, not only served in restaurants but also widely available in canned, powdered, and packaged forms. However, it’s not commonly found in the UK. The closest equivalent might be the corn chowder from Sainsbury’s, which my child particularly enjoys.
Beer or Sake
In Japan, vending machines for alcoholic beverages were once accessible to minors, but now require age verification to prevent underage purchases. These machines incorporate various mechanisms to ensure compliance, such as using driver’s licenses or IC cards for age verification. Additionally, many machines automatically suspend sales during nighttime hours.
Alcohol is readily available at convenience stores and supermarkets instead.
If you are staying at a hotel or ryokan, you might find vending machines for alcoholic beverages on guest-only floors. Since you have already checked into the facility, these machines typically allow purchases without additional ID verification. However, vending machines located in public areas like lobbies, accessible to non-guests, are subject to the same rules as outdoor machines.
How to Buy Cigarettes from Vending Machines
In Japan, purchasing cigarettes from vending machines requires an adult verification card called “taspo.” This card is designed to prevent minors from buying cigarettes and is generally only available to residents of Japan. (FYI, the legal age for smoking and drinking in Japan is 20.)
As a result, it can be challenging for foreign tourists to use cigarette vending machines in Japan. However, cigarettes can be purchased at convenience stores without the need for a taspo card.
Vending Machine Restaurant
A “vending machine restaurant” or “auto restaurant” refers to a facility that provides food via vending machines. As you can imagine from the name, these establishments are lined with only vending machines. At these facilities, customers can purchase items such as hamburgers, toast, udon, ramen, ice cream, etc, from the vending machines and eat them on-site.
In many cases, these restaurants operate unmanned and are open 24 hours, sometimes alongside drive-ins or game centres. These establishments first appeared in the 1970s and were particularly popular among long-distance truck drivers and others who needed to eat at night.
Some of the machines in these locations are old-fashioned models, adding a retro Showa-era atmosphere that attracts visitors who enjoy the nostalgic vibe or come to take photos.
Lucky Features in Vending Machines
Recently, some vending machines in Japan have a “lucky draw” feature when purchasing drinks. If you are lucky and win, you may receive an extra drink for free. This game-like element has become quite popular.
Some vending machines also have a feature where a “500 yen coin” can be won, which adds an element of surprise and delights users. However, these types of machines are not very common.
Vending Machines and Their Role During Disasters
Some vending machines in Japan are equipped with features to provide free water during disasters. In a country prone to earthquakes and typhoons, these “disaster-response vending machines” are installed to be helpful during emergencies and are often found in evacuation shelters and public facilities. They serve as a regular vending machine in everyday life but can also function as part of the infrastructure that supports daily life in times of crisis.
Additionally, some vending machines have the ability to display evacuation locations and disaster information on electronic signboards during emergencies. There are even vending machines equipped with security cameras or hand-crank generators that can charge smartphones, further contributing to disaster preparedness.
Spending the Remaining/Unused Japanese Coins at Airports
At airports, vending machines selling Japanese-themed items are often set up for foreign tourists, offering souvenirs that are uniquely Japanese. It’s a great idea to use up any leftover change by buying last-minute souvenirs from these airport vending machines before heading back to your home country.
Is There Vending Machine Maps?
It seems that the locations of vending machines can be checked using platforms like Google Maps or dedicated “vending machine map” apps. These tools allow users to find nearby vending machines and even see what products they sell. In tourist areas, where people often lack familiarity with the surroundings, quickly locating a vending machine is likely to be quite convenient.
Vending Machines Encountered at Leeds Station
Japanese vending machines are regularly cleaned, restocked, and maintained. Additionally, their product lineup often changes with the seasons.
The phot below is a vending machine I encountered at Leeds Station in the UK. The display area for drink samples was partially empty, and some displayed samples of the same drink had inconsistent colors. The machine seemed neglected, making it unappealing for potential buyers. Well, this might have been an isolated case of neglect.
