Outside convenience stores, inside convenience stores, in parks, at train stations, on street corners, at temples and shrines, in public bathrooms, even on top of Mt. Fuji. Vending machines offer many items for sale, including uncooked rice and adult magazines, but the most ubiquitous of all vending machines is the drink machine. And the most popular canned drink is, you guessed it. Most people drink their coffee while standing around the vending machine and then deposit their can into the recycling receptacle. Those who are truly discreet pocket their unopened can and carry it home before drinking it.
Canned coffee is vended hot or cold and in many different styles.
Because of the traditional water roasting process, Japanese coffee tends to be lighter and more bitter than coffee of other nations so most people drink it sweet and milky. The trouble with canned coffee is that it's not very good. This, combined with cloying sweetness, makes them a bad choice for everyday drinking. For those considering a diet of strictly canned coffees while visiting Tokyo, we recommend sticking to the black coffees and doctoring them to your preferred sweetness and whiteness, even if that means having to cart around sugar and cream packets. Our intrepid coffee research team tested ten brands and judged them in eight categories.