One thing that has always been of interest to me—and now seems to be of interest to the internet at large—is the phenomenon of vending machines and vending machine culture in Japan.
According to the article linked below, there is approximately one vending machine (or jidōhanbaiki) for every 30 people in Japan, and these vending machines are not just for the typical snacks that Americans are used to! While chips and drinks are common to find, one can also find within the machines treats like coffee, soft drinks, juice, ice-cream, fresh curry, soup, bread, pizza, instant noodles, fortune telling slips of paper, disposable cameras, umbrellas, SIM cards, bananas, sandwiches fermented soy beans, and crickets!
As a student who is always on the move and almost never has the time to cook a meal in the morning, such diversity of vending options sounds like a dream! If I could walk down the street and grab a pizza fresh (displayed in the video below) from a vending machine, I would be a happy camper indeed!
Alternatively, I would not need to use my car to go find groceries, such as cream, milk, or fruit! With a simple walk and cash payment, I could get what I need and be relatively certain that it would be fresh and delicious.
However, in addition to convenience, I wonder at the cultural attitudes necessary to sustain such well-kept machines. Would such convenience survive in my own country? I have seen many a broken down vending machine in the United States, filled with stale food or placed in an insecure location. People typically try to break into them, and owners can sometimes forget to fill them up. Would our culture allow for the consistent pride and work it takes to fill a machine with burgers, noodle soup, pizza ingredients, and more every day?
Another video (linked below) follows a man and his routine of making curry for his vending machine. Tadashi Yoshimoto, a 74 year old farmer and business-owner, takes pride in providing fresh ingredients and delicious, home-cooked food for his customers, and throughout the video, his work ethic and morals are clear. He says that he finds joy in the work and the food—that the vending machine is more of a conduit for his food than a material object to be proud of in itself.
While I’m not sure that such vending machine businesses could take place successfully in the current U.S., I would like to see more in the future! In the meantime, I will continue happily watching more videos about this wonderful, interesting phenomenon.
