Vending Machines in Japan

Japan is a country with very high density of population. It mean, limited space for high population activity. Those condition also reflects the major vending machines operated in Japan. It is usually very compact and efficient. Lot of Japanese go for shopping by foot or by bicycle. It makes vending machine is very popular there. Japanese are discipline people it can be seen with low rate of vending machine vandalism and crime.

Vending machines in Japan are known as jidōhanbaiki (from jidoō, or “automatic”; hanbai, or “vending”; and ki, or “machine”), jihanki for short.

Major vending machines in Japan are stocked with drinks, snacks, and cigarettes. We can occasionally finds vending machines selling items such as bottles of liquor, cans of beer, fried food, underwear, pornography and sexual lubricants, and potted plants.

The first vending machine in Japan was made about 80 years ago. It was made of wood and sold post cards and postage stamps. In that period of time, it was recorded, vending machines that sold sweets called Glico. In 1967, the 100-yen coin was distributed for the first time, this event accelerated vending machine sales in Japan.

In 1999, the estimated 5.6 million coin- and card-operated Japanese vending machines generated $53.28 billion in sales. Besides the items mentioned previously, Japanese vending machines sell or have sold in the past:

• Metered parking
• Mechanized parking
• Photograph printing service
• Toilet paper
• Pachinko (gambling) balls redeemable for prizes or money
• Rice
• Rice cleaning service
• French fries
• Freshly ground and brewed coffee
• Alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages
• Fried food
• Farm-fresh eggs
• Farm-fresh vegetables
• Kerosene
• Penis pumps
• Dry ice
• Beef
• Pay-per-view television cards (in the hospital)　
• Blood pressure measurement service
• Water from hot springs
• Ice cream
• Batteries
• CDs / DVDs
• Balloons
• Postcards
• Flowers
• Mobile telephone recharging service
• Mobile telephone photograph printing service
• Recycling service
• Frequent flier miles tabulation and credit
• Refrigerated food storage lockers
• Fishing line, hooks, and bait
• Live lobsters
• Pearl jewelry
• Condoms
• Games for the Famicom Disk System
• etc…

Source: Wikipedia and EarthSync.Net