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Delve a Little Deeper into Japan’s Attractions!

Japan, A Vending-Machine Paradise
When

I

show

visitors

fromoverseas around, Japan’s vending
machines frequently become asubject of conversation. There are
a

large

numberofvending

machines in Japan offering anabundant range of items, andmany of them are outdoors as well.
They can be seen not only in
urban

areas

but

in

the

countryside too, and they work
properly. Breakdowns are uncommon. They are well maintained. In other countries
vending machines accept only certain coins, like 25-cent coins, but in Japan you can use
not only a variety of coins but also banknotes and IC cards. Foreign visitors are amazedthat Japan’s vending machines return change properly, and they are really astonishedthat the same machine can dispense both hot and cold drinks. And so on and so forth.
Many unconventional items are sold by vending
machines as well. They offer not only drinks and foodbut also hats, umbrellas, flowers, and even, believe it
or not, gold coins and wedding ring kits. Technology,
such as AI-equipped vending machines and energy
saving, is progressing in leaps and bounds, so there iscertainly no shortage of topics.
Compared

with

other

countries, the diffusion
rate

of

vending

machines is high in Japan. According to the Japan Vending
System Manufacturers Association (JVMA), there were2,254,400 beverage vending machines in Japan at the endof 2021. In terms of the number of machines, Japan ranks
second in the world behind the United States. But in termsof ratio to population, Japan comes first. I asked JVMA Director General Motozo
Tsunekawa about the state of vending machines in Japan today.

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International Hospitality and Conference Service Association (IHCSA)The JVMA is the only organization in Japan representing the manufacturers of machines
using the Japanese currency. It comprises makers of not only general beverage and foodvending machines but also automated teller machines (ATMs) in banks, ticket machines
in car parks and elsewhere, machines selling restaurant meal tickets and train tickets,
automatic checkout machines in hotels, and so on. “In 2024 there will be new banknotes
in Japan,” Mr. Tsunekawa explained. “When banknotes change, the JVMA serves as anintermediary with the government. After consultations with member companies, we
make sure that machines can respond when new coins and banknotes are issued. Thatis one of our major roles.”Vending machines have a long history going way back to ancient Egypt before theChristian era. The world’s first vending machine was the holy-water dispenser describedin a book titled Pneumatica by the ancient Egyptian scientist Heron of Alexandria. In
this dispenser, the weight of an inserted coin caused water to flow out. It is said to havebeen placed in temples around 215 BC. “Searching the history of the modern vending
machine on the Internet,” Mr. Tsunekawa said, “it seems to have started in Britain. But
the full-scale diffusion of vending machines in Japan came from the United States. In
particular, the ball started rolling when the US company Coca-Cola launched sales inJapan using vending machines as its tool.” A video of the history of vending machines inJapan (in Japanese) can be seen on the JVMA’s website at www.jvma.or.jp.
“Japan’s vending machine makers,” Mr. Tsunekawa explained, “not only manufactured
the machines but also created operating companies to refill and otherwise look after
them. The vending machine business would definitely not succeed with the
manufacturing of machines alone. Because makers realized that the business would not
go well unless machines were operated in a proper and standard manner, the job of
operator emerged. These days affiliated operators of beverage makers undertake thereplenishment of products and collection of money, but in fact this route was firmly
established in Japan right from the start of vending machines.” In this way, beveragevending machines in Japan were properly refilled and maintained, and they spreadthroughout the country.
“Japan is probably the only nation in the world where vending machines are still placed
outdoors,” Mr. Tsunekawa went on. “Several decades ago machines were set up outdoors
in other countries too, but in most cases they have been moved indoors due to problems
concerning crime prevention and scenery. So it has become very unusual to see a country

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where vending machines stand outdoors. The reason is that Japan is such a safe andorderly country.”
As well as the sight of outdoor
vending machines, foreign visitors
to Japan are amazed that you can
buy both hot and cold drinks fromthe same machine. “The availabilityof both hot and cold drinks isanotherfrequent

subject,”

Mr.

Tsunekawa told me. “It is because
Japan has four distinct seasons that machines have this hot-and-cold function. Since
cold drinks would not sell in outdoor vending machines during the cold Japanese winter,vending machines selling both hot and cold drinks throughout the year appeared.”
Although vending machines thus spread on a nationwide scale in Japan, in recent years
their number has declined from the peak. “In the age when we did not have convenience
stores,” Mr. Tsunekawa noted, “vending machines were a tool by which beverage makers
sold their products. When convenience stores began to appear, people started to go there
to buy their drinks, because they knew that convenience stores stocked popular items.
And there was a labor shortage problem too. Refilling outdoor machines is a tough job inthe sweltering summer heat, and it became difficult to get people to do that kind of work.
Vending machines with good sales are okay, but vending machines with poor sales aregoing to be removed.” Another reason for the drop in the number of vending machines isthat it became possible to drink cheap and tasty coffee in convenience stores.
There are also new developments, though. Mr. Tsunekawa
explained, “Eating and drinking establishments were unable
to open during the COVID-19 pandemic, so places like ramen
restaurants placed vending machines in front of theirrestaurants and sold gyoza and ramen from them. It is a factthat this move has led to a review of vending machines. The
number of beverage vending machines is not increasing, but
going forward, I think that vending machines offering food,and in particular frozen food, which you can take home,defrost, and then eat, are going to spread.”

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Indeed, at the end of December 2021 the number of food vending machines had risenover the previous year. Recently there has been an increase in the number of novel
vending machines attracting much attention. In stark contrast to the past, makers areseeking to arouse curiosity by setting up only limited numbers of vending machines
offering unusual goods or items that are difficult to obtain elsewhere. And there seems
to have been an increase in the number of people going in search of such machines.
Creating even better machines with existing technology
Mr. Tsunekawa added, “Recently the number of frozenfood vending machines has increased, hasn’t it? But
there were ice-cream vending machines before, so
actually these are nothing new, just a development ofexisting technology. They might seem new to ordinary
folk, but seen from the manufacturing side, there is notmuch change at all. It’s only the vending-machine
structure that has changed.”Among frozen-food vending machines, the Dohiemon is
enjoying a real boom at present. This Dohiemon vending
machine offers the taste of popular restaurants acrossthe nation in the form of frozen-food products. Several
steps are taken to maintain freshness, which is so crucial for frozen food. The frozen foodis cooled to the business warehouse level of minus 25 degrees Celsius. Moreover, if acondition warmer than minus 15 degrees continues within the machine for 90 minutes,
an alarm is sent and sales from the machine automatically cease. Items have gained agood reputation for their close reproduction of the original taste. They might be rather
expensive compared with usual vending machine prices, but they are definitely worth it.
Remember, you can get the taste of popular restaurants nationwide anytime, 24/7/365.
In addition, in May 2022 a demonstration test was conducted of a vending machine
selling medicine, with a video-call link to a pharmacist. “The forerunner here was thecigarette vending machine,” Mr. Tsunekawa explained. “Only adults can buy cigarettes.
What people do now is purchase from a vending machine after scanning an IC card called
Taspo. But before that, there was a cigarette vending machine with a video camera that
displayed the face of a person wanting to buy cigarettes from the vending machine. A
person in the store looked at the face to check that the person was 20 years old or over

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before allowing the transaction to commence. So the idea of selling medicine afterconnecting the inside of the drugstore with the outside by video is nothing new.” Atpharmacies or drugstores, ordinary medicine cannot be purchased unless there is apharmacist or registered medicine seller present. In the demonstration test, using a
special terminal, the pharmacist or registered seller at the pharmacy operating the test
vending machine checked the purchase content each time and approved the sale.
Japanʼs proud technology“Both hot and cold drinks can be sold in thesame vending machine because a heat pump isused,” Mr. Tsunekawa commented. “With little
energy injected, the heat-pump techniquesucks in heat from the air and so on and uses
it as substantial thermal energy. The heatpump is widely used in such devices as air conditioners, refrigerators, and EcoCute water
heater systems.”
At present energy saving is a major initiative too. In just 20 years from 1991, the amountof electricity used by a single beverage vending machine fell by as much as 70%. How
was such a massive reduction achieved? Mr. Tsunekawa cited the following maintechnologies:(1) Smart energy saving (A built-in microcomputer in the vending machine analyzes
sales and other data and, in accordance with the results, automatically andappropriately enforces zone cooling and other energy-saving functions.)(2) Heat pump (The heat pump reuses heat emitted from cooling devices in the machine
to warm hot products. Thanks to this method, electricity consumption is greatly
reduced.)(3) Automatic lighting and dimming (By means of a sensor, lighting is turned on when itgets dark and off when it gets light. This eliminates the wasteful use of electricity andcurbs the amount of electricity consumed. Recently LED lighting, which consumes lesselectricity, has begun to be used too.)(4) Zone cooling (Electricity consumption is curbed by cooling or heating only productsthat are soon to be sold by means of a partial cooling and heating system.)(5) Peak shaving (The suspension of cooling operations on summer afternoons, whenelectricity use is at its highest, reduces the burden of power generation plants and curbs

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the emission of carbon dioxide in generation.)(6) Use of vacuum insulated material (The key to energy saving in vending machines lies
in enhancing energy efficiency so that, as far as possible, cool air and hot air cannot
escape from the machine. Recently, therefore, vacuum insulated material, which
increases temperature-retaining efficiency, has come to be used in beverage vending
machines.)“One more thing,” Mr. Tsunekawa added. “Money inserted into Japanese vending
machines is rarely rejected. They really are top-class in the world in this respect. We areproud of the fact that this technique of accepting and identifying money is so advanced
and outstanding.”
What kind of vending machines are unique to Japan?
Disaster-response vending machines
In Japan, which suffers from many earthquakes, typhoons, and other natural disasters,
there is a so-called disaster-response vending machine. “In the case of a disasterresponse vending machine,” Mr. Tsunekawa said, “a local government, such as Shinjuku,
and a beverage maker conclude a disaster agreement. In the event of a disastersurpassing a certain level, vending machines set up in public places, such as municipal
gymnasiums, can be opened to supply drinking water. Water can be distributed free ofcharge as well. At the time of a major disaster, naturally there would be no electricity.
But some of these vending machines have their own generators, so at such times they
could generate power themselves and turn on the electricity.” An initiative has also
started whereby vending machines with electric bulletin boards can transmit
information at times of disaster, such as alerts and evacuation instructions.
Guardian vending machines
Although Japan is considered a relatively safe country, the light of vending machines
also plays a role in preventing crime on dark nighttime streets. “Vending machines are,in a sense, everywhere,” Mr. Tsunekawa said, “and since they have power sources,
security cameras can be attached to them. So they can be used to protect children too.”
Furthermore, look closely, and you will notice that many vending machines display
address plates, which would be useful in the event of having to call the police or an
ambulance.

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International Hospitality and Conference Service Association (IHCSA) There are compact and slender vending machines like these too.

Planned vending machine for duty-free goods“Until now foreign visitors could only purchase duty-free
goods face-to-face over the counter,” Mr. Tsunekawa said.
“But the Japan Tourism Agency and National Tax Agency
have revised the system with the aim of promoting therecovery of inbound demand. There are several conditions.
For example, the vending machine must be able to read a
passport and to carry out face recognition to check that the
passport photo and user are the same person. If thevending machine meets these conditions, it can handle
duty-free goods.” If such a system could be realized, forinstance, rural places that have difficulty catering toforeign languages could make use of it. At present, vending machines where people canpick up duty-free goods reserved beforehand on a dedicated website are beginning toappear at places like Haneda Airport and Narita Airport.
Recent buzzworthy vending machines
Finally, let me introduce a couple of places in Tokyo where you can find highly unusual
vending machines that have been in the news lately (as of February 2023).
Trendy Shibuya
A cake vending machine on the third floor of theAdores building sells cakes in transparent cansmade by the Okashi Gaku patisserie. One of thereasons for
their

eye-

catching
popularity
is that the
cakes

look

so beautiful.
Next to this vending machine there is anothermachine that makes cotton candy on the spot!

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International Hospitality and Conference Service Association (IHCSA)The Salad Stand vending machine is located justoutside the ticket gates of Shibuya Station on the
Keio Inokashira Line. Even if you don’t have time to
go to a convenience store, you can buy fresh salad andcold-pressed juice here.
The Namakuri fresh
creamvending

machine is located by
the escalator on the
2Fbasementof

Shibuya 109, a popular magnet for girls. The canscontain 90% fresh cream and 10% sponge cake! They
come with a spoon attached, so you can eat the delicacy
straightaway.
Outside the entrance to the Village Vanguard building,which is directly connected to Shibuya Station on theTokyo Metro Hanzomon Line and Tokyu Denentoshi Line,
there is a banana vending machine. Set up in 2010, thiswas the first vending machine in Japan selling Dolebananas. The temperature inside the machine is kept at
just the right level to preserve the bananas. At present it
sells greenish ripened bananas that contain a lot of
resistant starch.
You can also buy edible insects, whichhave been in the news a lot recently,
from a vending machine. The place togo is the Don Quijote Shibuya store,
on the Shibuya Center-Gai street
side. The packaging is simple and(perhaps too?) easy to understand.
Maybe not for the fainthearted, but if
you have the nerve, go ahead and try!

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Inside the Truffle Gallery in Shibuya
2-chome there is the world’s first
vending

machineemitting

thefragrance of truffle! Truffle-related
products can be purchased from thismachine, including sea salt with
truffle and truffle soy sauce. It is
locatedintheshowroom.

Afterpressing the purchase button and finishing payment, you canenjoy the scent of truffle too.
Unusual vending machines at Haneda Airport
There are many unconventional vending machines in Terminal 2 (domestic flights) at
Haneda Airport, including machines offering pop-up sweets, worldwide inflight meals,
and popular regional curries. If
you have forgotten to buy somesouvenirs, don’t worry! You canpurchase souvenirs from allover the place from these
vending machines.

You will find the much-talked-about orange juice
vending machine here too. Just insert the money, and it
squeezes the orange juice for you while you wait.
In addition, in the monorail station for Terminal 3(international flights) there is the vending machine,
mentioned above, where you can pick up duty-free goods
reserved beforehand on a dedicated website. Since
reservations can be made in advance, you don’t have towaste time shopping for duty-free goods or tire yourself
carrying them to the airport. You can spend more timesightseeing!

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International Hospitality and Conference Service Association (IHCSA)We usually see vending machines around us without
thinking much about them, but it’s really amazing how
much they have evolved. I have a feeling it is the Japaneseartisan spirit of making existing things even better, and theJapanese feeling of hospitality, that have led to thisdevelopment of vending machines in a very original
direction. As technology progresses, apparently there arepeople who make pilgrimages out into the provinces insearch of nostalgic old vending machines. Once again, I
sense here the Japanese people’s affection for thesemachines.
Vending machines are deeply rooted in Japanese life. How about going out and looking
for some unconventional ones?
********************************************************************************
Cooperation:
Japan Vending System Manufacturers Associationwww.jvma.or.jp (Japanese site only)

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International Hospitality and Conference Service Association (IHCSA)