Jihanki

Japan has many interesting quirks, one being their propensity for widespread vending machines. Though OpenMaps.org has a database of over four thousand of them across Japan, the real number is easily three times that. From inside hotels, to public parks, streetcorners, and even in the middle of nowhere, these ubiquitous boxes dispense all manner of items. Mostly drinks, of course, from soft drinks to energy drinks, coffee and water, to souvenirs, manga memorabilia, artisanal items, soup, and even personal care items.

Most travelers have noted that the Japanese carry their own trash with them until a suitable wastebasket is found, since there is virtually no litter - anywhere - and no public trashcans. But the exception to this observation is that almost every vending machine has one or more small trashcans snuggled right up to it. This system encourages anyone on the street to enjoy their purchase right at the machine, only to turn and toss the empties into the waiting receptacle. A side effect of this behavior is that it’s considered rude to walk and drink at the same time.

So with their ubiquity comes an incredible variety of placement, and of attitude. Some places have five or six machines next to each other, others just one lonely dispenser. But those are the regular drink dispensers. Contrast that with toy machines, for example, and we see that there can be forty or fifty all jammed up, right in front of a store. Does that store sell they toys in those machines? Sometimes, and sometimes not. Which does bring up an interesting aspect of this culture. Some of the machines are maintained and filled by contractors and drink companies, but many are maintained by the shop owners in front of which they sit. This means the shop owners are counting on bringing in business, rather than being upset that people buy a drink and move on.

This collection reflects that variety of locale and purpose. We’ll leave out captions wherever possible, but there are some that will benefit from a little explanation.