Take a walk around Japan, and you’ll notice there are vending machines everywhere, and they don’t just sell typical things like you’d find in American vending machines. They do sell beverages such as juice, soda, coffee, tea, and soup; but these can be selected as “hot” or “cold” as well. Products that’re sold in addition to beverages are “limitless” with items such as newspapers, ice cream, sweets and bread, fruits, vegetables, and even paperback books and umbrellas.
For some vending machines, the choice is made simple for the user: either purchase a banana, a bundle of bananas, or move on.
Some vending machines will even give you a recommendation on what to buy. By simply standing in front of these types of vending machines, they will automatically determine your age and gender using a face recognition sensor at the top of the machine, with a probability of atleast 70% accuracy! A “recommended” mark will then appear next to selected beverages based on the buyers attribute information, what temperature it is outside, and time of purchase. So, if a woman in her 30’s is standing in front of one on a cold winter morning, it’d recommend hot tea, corn soup, or beauty drinks; as many women would consider buying these things.
Some people are probably thinking, “Even though vending machines are convenient, they are still just machines. There is no warmth to them like there is when you buy from a store.” This is what the “store manager service” is apparently for, which was introduced in 980 thousand coffee vending machines last fall for a limited time. Simply by downloading the application into your smart phone and registering the vending machine you frequently use, the vending machine will send you messages and special videos from your chosen “store manager,” played by female entertainers, everytime you wander by it. The logic behind this was that as you were wandering home from work, you’d receive messages saying something like “good job on your work today,” which would cause a phenomenon of you going to your “favorite shop” (vending machine) without even thinking about it.
There are also vending machines that brew your coffee for you, in about a minute; the unique thing about this machine is that it has a camera inside it, which’ll show live footage of the whole process of your coffee being brewed until you receive your coffee. Apparently, many people enjoy watching the movements on camera, which makes for repeat business; it’s even said that the taste is comparable to coffee that has been brewed by a coffee shop master, if you can believe it.
I personally think having all these different types of vending machines is very convenient, such as the hot boxed lunch ones I found in this 13 minute video, and most all of the other vending machines mentioned, as well; the half-sized machines waste no space, either. Some of them I find very creative, such as the vending machine that sells umbrellas. I wish we had all the choices that Japan does, when it comes to vending machines, as I do love having alot of options. Although, I do wonder about the popularity of some of them, such as the banana one. Of course, with convenience comes an increase in price, so I may not end up using them much at all, since I’m quite the coupon clipper and deal lurker. Still, it would be nice to just look at all the choices I have available to me, should the need arise. It has even been said that some machines will display a slot machine where you can receive another drink for free, and if that’s the case, I’d likely visit the drink machines more often than other ones. A vending machine that talks to people probably sounds a little strange, but it wouldn’t bother me. The Hot Foods vending machine is particularly amusing as well; even if you’d be unsure of the quality of the food, you’d likely still try it just once, for fun. Overall, I enjoy seeing all the variety that vending machines present to the customer, in Japan, and would enjoy seeing what more they have to offer, over time.
(Written by Brian Sharber)
Japanese Culture Class 