Short form commission #2 from Nicc is a piece on the Japanese vending machine phenomenon. It\u2019s a sort of companion piece to the konbini article of a few months back. Of course that was full-length, and while it\u2019s sort of fitting for a piece on vending machines to be short, that\u2019s going to be the real challenge here. As with convenience stores, it\u2019s a huge topic. I should also note that gacha machines probably count here, but that\u2019s a topic all to itself beyond any shadow of a doubt.<\/p>\n
All I can do is a \u201cgreatest hits\u201d piece here really, given that reality. Jidouhanbaiki<\/em> \u2013 jihanki<\/em> for short \u2013 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\u2019s a cultural icon to be sure. Here are a few highlights from their remarkable story\u2026<\/p>\n 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\u2019t know if that really counts since it\u2019s not the item itself you get from the machine. What I get from vending machines more than anything else is the obvious stuff \u2013 cold coffee (which is surprisingly good here) and drinks like Pocari. Probably my favorite is the \u201cMaro Uma<\/a>\u201d brand coffee from Sangaria. For the longest time it was \u00a5100 (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.<\/p>\n I don\u2019t really partake of weird vending machines, as a rule. I\u2019ve 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<\/a>. I don\u2019t know why a cold bottle of milk (I\u2019ve 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.<\/p>\n\n
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