Vending Machines - Beer Anyone?

Some of you may have already heard about this, others may have not. You can buy beer from vending machines in Japan! For those that require proof of this, please refer to the above picture of Richard standing in front of a vending machine at our hotel. Side by side next to the bottles of water and green tea sit ice cold cans of Asahi beer waiting for purchase. Now granted, you won't find beer for sale at every vending machine in Japan. In fact the amount of vending machines that sell alcoholic beverages in Japan have decreased over the years. However it is still quite a novelty to see these machines scattered around Japan with nothing but an honor system to stop under age teenagers from purchasing them.

Unless you've been to Japan, it's really hard to explain the scope of how pervasive these vending machines have become. According to the Japan Vending Machine Manufacturers Association, there are 5.51 million vending machines in Japan, generating a total of almost 7 trillion Yen or approximately $58 billion dollars each year. That means that there is roughly 1 vending machine for every 23 people in Japan. Most obvious are the cigarettes and drink machines that are scattered just about everywhere you look. However, the Japanese have taken this to another level with vending machines that sell not only beer and other alcoholic beverages, but also fresh eggs, women's underwear and bouquets of flowers just to name an unusual few. The above picture shows one of the more simpler machines that sell subway tickets.

At a restaurant near our hotel you were required to pay for your meal before entering by purchasing a ticket from a vending machine. You chose the meal you wanted, put in the appropriate amount of yen, pressed a button and received a ticket. Once inside you gave this ticket to the staff who would then quickly prepare your meal and serve it to you. While at first glance this payment arrangement may seem a little strange, it makes a lot of sense when you think about it. The restaurant reduces their staff by one person since they no longer need a cashier to take payment and you're forced to pay up front so there is no chance of anyone skipping out on the bill. There can also be no argument over what you ordered since you picked it yourself by pressing a button. Only in Japan.