Top Ten Unique Japanese Vending Machines
Everyone who knows anything about Japan will know that it is not only the Land of the Rising Sun, but also the Land of the Vending Machines. Japan has some unique and interesting vending machines to say the least, if you would recall an older post of mine about the vegetable vending machine, you can already tell there are some crazy ones out there.
I have been scouring the internet to find some unique and interesting vending machines of Japan and here are 10 of them that I have found to be interesting. You will not be seeing any of these in the USA, well not anytime soon anyway. It is sad that we do not have some of these machines in the US, some of them are quite ingenious and convenient. And here they are:
10) Umbrella Vending Machine:
Stuck out in the rain? No stores open? Japan has found a solution. The convenience of it all, I must admit it, I have been stuck out on rainy days and this would have been extremely useful in those situations.
9) Flower Vending Machine:
The flower machine seems to be a good idea, especially in Japan. Most businessmen are expected to work late (one of the hardest working country I have ever known or seen), and then socialize with co-workers at a nearby bar; so the 24-hour availability of flowers seems to be a good way to apologize to the misses after being away all day and night.
8) Flight Insurance Vending Machine?:
You can conveniently purchase flight/travel insurance near your boarding gate in Tokyo. I suppose this is a good idea for “just in case” situations but somehow this would make me feel a little uncomfortable and awkward as I step onto my plane.
7) Alcohol Vending Machine:
Ahh nothing like a little booze whenever you need it. I find this to be really interesting and weird due to the fact that the sales of alcohol here in the States is quite strict. In New York, you can find beer at the convenience store and supermarkets, however, in many other states you can only find beer in liquor stores. Therefore seeing beer for sale in a vending machine is just well new and refreshing. I wonder how they check someones identification with these machines though…
6) Hot Meal and Hot Ramen Vending Machines:
It is a tie for number 6 alright. Both are weird but damn it I sure wish I had a hot food vending machine around the corner of my house…man that would have solved many hungry nights. Luckily for me there is always a convenience store that is open 24hrs not too far away and the local 7-11 but this is still too damn convenient to live without if you ask me.
5) Fresh Eggs Vending Machine:
Sometimes you just need eggs. Just didn’t think it was urgent enough to warrant a Vending Machine dedicated to it. I wonder how fresh they really are…
4) Condoms Vending Machine:
There isn’t much I can say about this one except that these vending machines are conveniently located between the drink and porn machines. You can actually find some of these in the US, not out on the streets but in certain locations.
3) Lingerie Vending Machine:
Lingerie vending machine which is apparently quite common in large cities (I never actually saw one when I was in Japan but then again I wasn’t exactly looking for one). But hey its available anytime you need one. *Wink Wink*
2) Porn Vending Machine:
All nothing like good ole HEALTH ITEMS for those lonely nights. Again having these out on the street is just awkward. How do they stop little horny teenage punks from getting these??
1) Lobster Vending Machine (kinda):
Now I know this isn’t exactly a vending machine..but it is kinda like one. Nonetheless it is still extremely unique and again in a way it is like a vending machine…just not something that gives you a prize every time you put money in. Ok, well this baby as you can see is shaped like those claw machines (you know those machines which are always friggen rigged!!). Now for a few yen you can catch your own lobster dinner, mmm CHEAP AND GOOD! Well not really cheap (I bet it is rigged), you would probably spend a lot of money just to catch one, but it is fun though! You can find this in Osaka if you want to give it a try.
Sources for this article such as the pictures are from: Dark Roasted Blend, PhotoMann, and Japan Guidebook.
If you enjoyed this posting then you might want to check out my postings: Five Funny Engrish Photos and Eight Interesting albeit Odd Japanese Items.
Well I’ve seen a Flight Insurance Vending Machine at the Atlanta Airport and Sacramento Airport so I don’t think those are a Japan only thing.
Back when I lived in Japan MANY years ago (89-91), I was amazed at the variety of vending machines that could be found there (and their frequency). At 19, the beer vending machine was of keen interest to me (that’s where I sampled a Foster’s for the first time, having seen it referenced in a Monty Python skit). The hot food one also came in handy a time or two.
What a stuff are those!?
So weird enough to be located in the corner of the city… but i want the hot meals one.. ;D
I was liek O_O in teh lobster machine thingey..
Mmmmn lobster. We fish so much lobster in New Brunswick when I used to live there that we could have fueled these machines. XD
I saw a flower vending machine at an airport in Oakland California. So it’s not just a Japanese thing.
They, as in he U.S., should really think about the hot meal one… X3
the lobster machine…. do u really want to reach in there to get yur prize?
I saw this a while back on Danny’s site and he was talking about the lobster ufc catcher…
That is cool but how do they keep them alive…
Still, I wasn’t able to find most of these machines there…
Theres no legal drinking age in japan, it goes by height, as does tobacco. They probably just put the buttons at the standard length away from the ground : D
That seems very inefficient…and somehow wrong…
Yeah I sure wish the states had some of these things, the convenience would be amazing.
hot meal, umbrella, porn and flower ones all look pretty handy. condom ones are pretty common in bathrooms in gas stations around here.
Wouldn’t the lobster snap at you or fight you off somehow when you went to retrieve it from the prize chamber? Maybe they have rubber bands on their claws or something but it doesn’t look like it in the photo :P
There’s a bowling shoe vending machine in the bowling alley in Ikebukuro Sunshine City.
The lobster catcher is number 1? LOL. I was O_O. And alcohol vending machine.. Wonder how you get to buy? Or are the alcohol amount in very tiny amount? XD
OK there is a legal drinking age in Japan (20) but it isn’t strictly enforced. The Japanese don’t view alcohol in quite the same light as Americans. Same goes for the porn. It’s just not a big deal to many Japanese if some 15 year old kid wants to see boobs. Besides, Japanese pornography is very different than pornography in many other countries since they cannot legally show genitals in Japanese porn.
Oh thank you, that is quite informative. I wish America saw drinking the same way as Japan. I mean at 18 you are old enough to die for your country but if you want a beer, just forget it.
Luckily for me, I am old enough now to grab a beer whenever it pleases me, even though I am not a big drinker.
There are flower, condom, and hot food machines in the US. Flower and hot food machines can be found in many hospitals and condom machines, though rare, can be found in bars and the like.
They have flower vending macines in a lot of airports here in the states as well. and personally i think ypou should’ve added cigarette vending machines to the list.
The umbrella one was invented by a British man and has been seen all over the london Underground
Not only can you find this ‘unique’ lobster catcher in Osaka, but in Risky Business Bar and Grill in Tucson, Arizona. It’s very uniquely Japanese. Sure.
The flower vending machines may well be intended for the ladies to purchase flowers. In Japan, flower arranging is an art, Ikebana, as respected as painting, photography or sculpture are in Western culture. There are dozens of traditions and different schools, with highly respected embedded cultures.
Flower vendors cater to the needs of those who practice this beautiful art form.
Oh thank you, that is quite informative.
They have these in hospitals a lot. They also have cold meal ones with things like salads, sandwiches, and fruit. It’s actually a pretty good deal.
Not sure if Blowed was joking or not, but there is a minimum age for both drinking and smoking: 20 years. These vending machines have been the usual way for underage Japanese to get smokes and booze but that’s becoming harder as they have a new card system designed to prevent underage purchases. You have to be at least 20 to get one of the cards. It won’t stop determined underage boozers or smokers, or course, but will stop casual purchases.
By the way, I’d like to mention that there is one kind of vending machine common in other areas that I have not seen even once during my 25 years in Japan: candy bar. Not once ever have I seen a machine selling chocolate bars of any sort.
The legal drinking age in japan is 20 same with tobacco. And they do have a card system even on the vending machines.
Just what the modern world needs now
the Pokemon looking things on the condom packages are just wrong.
Surprised that the Cel Phone and the Cigarette Vending machine has missed out. Last time I lived there (98-99), they were definitely in the top 10.
The Lobster Vending Machine can be found in Kita-Senju,Adachi-ku ward of Tokyo if I am not mistaken
I think my favorites where the hot meal and lobsters. The veggies is what we need here in America most though.
The hot meal ones do look a bit unhealthy if you ask me, Veggie vending machine sounds nice but then again we have supermarkets on every corner or fruit stands at least here where I live.
there should be a drug vending machine…
I have also seen a lobster vending machine at an open air bar (no roof) in phoenix arizona. The ‘catch’ was that it was 3 bucks a pop. my drunk buddy and i each probably dumped 30 bucks into the thing with no luck.
This is perfect, gives me a new Idea. :) great article.
There IS a legal drinking age in Japan, and it’s 20. I don’t know where that other dude got the idea there wasn’t one. As far as minors being able to get alcohol from the machine, it’s kind of an honor system and it’d be frowned upon for someone underaged to buy alcohol from one of those machines. Not to say it doesn’t happen, but it doesn’t happen as often as you might think.
me want pronn!!! me want pronnn now!
Jaapan- müügiautomaatide maa…
10 võimalust, mida saab Jaapanis osta automaadist ……
You can tell alot about a society by their vending machines. Unfortunately not too many would work here in the states. In America the alcohol vm would be used non stop by underaged kids. The porn and lingerie vm would be picketed untill it was removed. ( but gay marriage is just dandy ). The flower vm would be Buy One Get 6 Free. The eggs would just end up all over nearby cars. And finially, lobsters with snappy claws are just made for frivolous American lawsuits.
That is so funny.
Indeed, how do they check your age if you’re trying to buy liquor, or porn?
Has anyone ever seen any of the iPod vending machines in the US?
They used to have one in the Mall of Georgia located in Buford (That is until they got a Mac store) It was huge, and it sold iPods and iPod accessories. You could even get iHomes and the like. it only took credit and debit cards though. I thought it would be funny to see someone feeding hundreds into it.
Yeah, we also have condom vending machines and flower vending machines here, too.
Forgive me for commenting on this long after you posted it, but LAAAAWL HEALTH ITEMS XD
I was at an airport in the US the other day and was so surprised to see a giant vending machine with IPODS, cameras, IPOD accessories, and other high priced items for sale. Just insert you credit card, select and item, and voila you’ve spent $1000. before you know it. I thought it was really the height of consumerism at it worst!
The lobster crane game can – believe it or not – also be found in some resturants and arcade parlors in Maine. They’re mostly in the tourist-trappy areas (Bar Harbour, Kittery/Portland/Wasterville) but they’re up here.
They do not check for the age. Maybe this is not possible to comprehend for some people, but the Japanese society system is basically very rigorous and people actually do not think a teenager would ever dare to buy alcohol or porn. But fact is, they do, and there is no control. So that’s the reason why such vending machines do not appear in other countries. Btw, the “lingerie vending machine” is not selling lingerie, but used panties of little girls. Yes, most likely to grown up possible child abusers.
But anyway, nowadays there is so much porn online, with even kindergarten kids having free access to everything. Probably our world needs some major changes…
OH! the lobster vending machine! I caught one before!!!! wow, it brings me memories… I lived in Japan, and I remember seeing the exact same vending machine. lobster lobster~ ;)
now really, would u reach into the lobster machine to get ur prize?
not for the beer they dont