Vending machines make our lives easier. In Japan, they are known as jidohanbaiki (自動販売機) or just hanbaiki, and there are more than 5 million of them spread across the country. You can find one or 5 on every corner, even at the entrance of supermarkets and stores. They can even be in the middle of the woods, and no one breaks them or litters nearby.
Most hanbaiki serve hot and cold drinks like chás, refrigerantes, cafés, energéticos, cervejas, and more. In reality, there are countless types of machines that sell even bizarre items you wouldn’t imagine selling in a vending machine; in this article, we will see many types of these machines.
What do Japanese machines sell?
In addition to normal products such as drinks, snacks, sweets, there are some hanbaiki that sell all kinds of rice. Others sell milk, some even sell umbrellas, batteries. There is already one that is a drawer where you can put your cell phone to charge inside. And of course, there are Hanbaiki that sell fruits and vegetables.
It's not just snacks, some vending machines sell real snacks like freshly made hot dogs. In some temples and shrines there are vending machines that sell amulets and draw your luck. Some vending machines dispense ice cream shops, selling ice cream in various flavors.
Why go to the toy store if there is a hanbaiki that sell toys. Those who are embarrassed to go to clothing stores can buy their tie at a hanbaiki. Eggs are also often found in hanbaiki.
There are some machines that sell Cup Noodles. Hanbaiki that sell clothes, t-shirts, and accessories for the shy also exist. Going to the extreme, there are machines that sell used panties for the perverts on duty. Others sell gold bars, food for koi, and bananas.
We cannot forget to mention the automatic machines that exist in train stations and other locations, which sell tickets for trains, event tickets, or things like that. Even ガソリンスタンド has automatic machines for payment.
There are many bizarre vending machines that we haven't mentioned. Some sell bicycles and one even sells cars. Like the konbini, these machines make life much easier for people in Japan. To help you better explore these machines, we've put together a playlist of videos below from the channel Japan Our Daily, which shows various hanbaiki.
