Automatic vending machines make our lives easier. In Japan, they are known as jidohanbaiki (自動販売機) or simply hanbaiki, and there are over 5 million of them spread across the country. You can find one or five on every corner, even at the entrance of markets 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 teas, sodas, coffees, energy drinks, beers, and others. In reality, there are countless machines that sell even bizarre things that you wouldn’t imagine being sold in an automatic machine; in this article, we will see many types of these machines.
What do Japanese machines sell?
Besides normal products like drinks, snacks, and sweets, there are some hanbaiki that sell rice of all types. Others sell milk, some even sell umbrellas and batteries. There is one that is a drawer where you can place your phone to charge inside. And of course, there are Hanbaiki that sell fruits and vegetables.
It’s not just snacks; some machines sell real savory foods like hot dogs made on the spot. In some temples and shrines, there are automatic machines that sell charms and fortune slips. Some machines dispense ice cream shops, selling ice creams of various flavors.
Why go to a toy store if there is a hanbaiki that sells toys? Those who are shy about going to clothing stores can buy their ties from a hanbaiki. Eggs are also commonly 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, koi food, and bananas.
We cannot forget to mention the automatic machines that exist in train stations and other places, which sell tickets for trains, tickets for events, or things like that. Even gas stations have automatic machines for payment.
There are many bizarre automatic vending machines that we haven’t mentioned. Some sell bicycles; there is even one that sells cars. Just like the konbini, these machines make life much easier for people in Japan. To explore these machines better, we will leave a playlist of videos below from the channel Japão nosso de cada dia that shows various hanbaiki.
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