Short form commission #2 from Nicc is a piece on the Japanese vending machine phenomenon. It’s a sort of companion piece to the konbini article of a few months back. Of course that was full-length, and while it’s sort of fitting for a piece on vending machines to be short, that’s going to be the real challenge here. As with convenience stores, it’s a huge topic. I should also note that gacha machines probably count here, but that’s a topic all to itself beyond any shadow of a doubt.

All I can do is a “greatest hits” piece here really, given that reality. Jidouhanbaiki – jihanki for short – are a ubiquitous presence here and a staple of everyday life. Legends (as usual based on a grain of truth in most cases) abound. You can buy live animals or cooked steaks from them. They have them on top of mountains and in caves. It’s a cultural icon to be sure. Here are a few highlights from their remarkable story…

• While an exact number is impossible to determine, there are probably about 5.2 million jihanki in Japan. At about 1 per 23 residents, that density may be the highest in the world.
• Believe it or not, the first vending machine appeared in Japan in 1888 (selling cigarettes). They didn’t become widespread until the late 1950’s however, and really exploded in the ’60s as the economy began to boom.
• As far as I can tell, the notion of a live beetle vending machine is urban legend. But if you want edible bugs (subjective term) Japan has you covered. Bug bites jihanki are actually fairly common in Tokyo.
• That said, there are machines where you can buy live crabs (for eating) and live goldfish (both of which seem like terrible ideas to me).
• There are vending machines on mountain summits in Japan, this is true – including one on top of Mt. Fuji. I’ve seen them in many very wild places – on trails, lonely beaches, still operating despite being in the entryway of abandoned buildings.
• Drink machines in Japan are designed to dispense beverages for free (if you know the method) in the event of a natural disaster or other emergency.
• There are a few machines in Akihabara which dispense used panties.
• Above and beyond the obvious packaged snacks, food options range from fully cooked ramen and meat to frozen ready-to-heat bentos. Increasingly popular is brewed coffee, sometimes pretty fancy, and fresh-squeezed orange juice. There are also “robot baristas” preparing and selling coffee drinks here now, but I don’t think those qualify.

Nicc also asked me to list my personal favorite jihanki items, which is harder than it sounds. I mean I could easily say ramen tickets, but I don’t know if that really counts since it’s not the item itself you get from the machine. What I get from vending machines more than anything else is the obvious stuff – cold coffee (which is surprisingly good here) and drinks like Pocari. Probably my favorite is the “Maro Uma” brand coffee from Sangaria. For the longest time it was ¥100 (before inflation finally caught up to this island), and it comes in a nice big (500 ml) bottle. Those little cans are never enough to satisfy me.

I don’t really partake of weird vending machines, as a rule. I’ve gotten coffee, various other soft drinks, beer (vending machine beer seems to suit me on vacation), chips or cookies. Nothing much weirder than that I can remember. But one thing I am especially fond of is the milk ubiquitously available from jihanki in onsen and sento. I don’t know why a cold bottle of milk (I’ve always loved milk in glass bottles) became the standard post-bathing accompaniment in Japan, but power of suggestion or not it totally works for me.