81–90 of 171 posts
There were a lot of weird small vending machines in Austria too, like on some random street corner, you'd find a gumball machine. Stuff like this: http://l7.alamy.com/zooms/48c88dd9aea741de95fec46fd33f47be/g... I never really figured that one out.
Those Japanese vending machines blow my mind. I got lost on takao mountain once and was utterly hopeless of ever finding civilization again. I found abandoned and rotting tractors the forest had taken back, weird half completed concrete structures, the trail was gone, I was well and truly lost. Then, I turn a corner, and find a goddamned vending machine. Powered. With stock. I followed its power cord back for a solid…
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It's really like that. In the countryside, you'll occasionally see rice fields with small walkways in between them in a + configuration with a vending machine hanging out in the middle. Presumably for the farmers to get something to drink...
Oh wow, that's crazy. I've only been to Tokyo, where they weren't out of place, but out in the fields? Sounds like quite the sight.
Getting a hot chocolate out of a vending machine while the sky is dumping snow is one of life's many sublime pleasures.
After the Fukushima earthquake I was walking from Ebisu to Roppongi (all the subways were shuttered). A cold evening and I wasn't properly dressed. Then I turned the corner and saw a machine with Tommy Lee Jones' staring down selling hot cans of Boss Coffee. Made the night a little easier.
The attitude is strange with vending machines and other cultures. I saw a vending machine selling 20oz and 1.5l (I think?) bottles of coke for the same price. In America, that would be unheard of, why would anyone buy the 20oz bottle. But in Japan, it seemed like many people just bought what they needed.
(Before I realized this, I was once perplexed by where to throw out a food wrapper. I went into a restroom in the subway station and threw it out in the only receptacle I saw, which turned out to be the hand dryer. That was embarrassing.)
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"They function as a labor-saving device for high-trafficked items and a way to sell during off-hours." Seemed to be Bodega's plan also. If they want to go after a particular market, so be it. I'd rather it be a new business than a venture by a corporate giant. That opportunity has been available to every mom-and-pop store too, right? Even if it was just one vending machine in one nearby apartment building? I can appr…
Bodega isn't innovating much. There are several other systems where you access a big refrigerator using an app and get food.
I think avoiding products that spoil is easy but smart. Saves somewhat on transport constantly replenishing the cabinet, refrigeration, etc. Focusing your product catalogue is innovation to some extent.
Those Japanese vending machines blow my mind. I got lost on takao mountain once and was utterly hopeless of ever finding civilization again. I found abandoned and rotting tractors the forest had taken back, weird half completed concrete structures, the trail was gone, I was well and truly lost. Then, I turn a corner, and find a goddamned vending machine. Powered. With stock. I followed its power cord back for a solid…
Man, how'd you get lost on Mount Takao? It's always so crowded... if you have any info that'd let one find that lone vending machine, I'm interested :)
Takao can get too crowded. Head to Jinba 陣馬 which is just a few train stations away for fun and good food on top.
The odd thing to me about Japan's vending machine situation is that it's largely drinks. Not much in the way of the snack vending machines that one frequently encounters in the U.S. I suppose it's probably due to the Japanese aversion to preservatives / prevalence of convenience stores, but one would think they'd have come up with some tricks like the ones they've perfected with cup noodles.
Walking while eating is considered impolite which is why I suspect vending machine food never took off. Just a cultural thing I think.
I'd love to visit Japan, and Hokkaido specifically. Seems like such a nice place.
I just started taking Japanese classes yesterday and I can't wait to go back next year.
Getting a hot chocolate out of a vending machine while the sky is dumping snow is one of life's many sublime pleasures.
After the Fukushima earthquake I was walking from Ebisu to Roppongi (all the subways were shuttered). A cold evening and I wasn't properly dressed. Then I turned the corner and saw a machine with Tommy Lee Jones' staring down selling hot cans of Boss Coffee. Made the night a little easier.