On vending machines in Japan

"We miss traveling to Japan." is quite the understatement. I have lived there four time, counting my post grad studies in the 1990s and my stays as a Visiting Scientist in the 1990s and 2000s. I've lived in Tokyo, Yokohama and Saitama during those times and traveled around whenever I can. Among the conveniences of living in Japan are the various vending machines (or bendo as they are referred to by the Japanese) selling all kinds of things. The typical ones on campus sold coffee, tea, chocolate, juices, softdrinks and water. Coffee, tea and chocolate are usually available as hot beverages during cold seasons and cold beverages during warm/hot seasons. Other machines sell ice cream, beer, snacks, bread and other usual refreshments. But elsewhere like rail stations (plazas and platforms), these machines may sell transit cards, telephone cards (people even collected the different designs back in the day), toys, cigarettes, and other items you might find in convenience stores.

Harrison, A. (November 30, 2020) "Vending Machine Heaven," Weeds & Wildflowers, https://medium.com/weeds-wildflowers/vending-machine-heaven-317fe2de0f48 [Last accessed: 2/12/2021]

Here are a couple of photos of vending machines I took during a trip back in 2013:

Ice cream vending machine on an Enoshima Line station platform.

The latest models of vending machines look like giant TVs with their LED screens providing information on the items available from the machine. This was on a JR East Yokosuka Line platform.

I was looking forward to traveling to Japan again later this year for a conference in Hiroshima. After the conference, I was planning to take the Shinkansen to Kyoto and then to Tokyo for a sort of sentimental visit. With the pandemic still affecting us, I guess that conference will be held online instead and I would have to shelve travel plans for now.

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