The Vintage Vending Machine That's More Popular In Japan Than The US

In the U.S., when you think of vending machine snacks, you probably imagine stale candy and granola bars, bags of chips, and, if you're lucky, cookies. But if you've ever visited Japan, you know that vending machines can hold much, much more. From piping hot ramen to ice cream, and from tonkatsu sandwiches to fresh pressed juices and fruits — when it comes to what you can get from a machine on the side of the street or, say, waiting for the train, Japan represents an entirely different world than what most Americans are probably used to. There's one type of vending machine that was once popular in the U.S. too, however, even if you might not see as many of them around today: the coffee vending machine.

Coffee vending machines can be spotted all around Japan. And what's nostalgic to Americans is an everyday convenience for those who call the country with the single largest number of vending machines per capita home. It's that and cultural reasons related to Japan's high uncertainty avoidance index, low crime rate, and the post-war economic boom of the '60s, that can explain why coffee vending machines — and vending machines in general — are more common in Japan than the U.S.

Coffee from a vending machine might not be the best you can get — and especially not in Japan, where every street has a 7-Eleven that sells a freshly ground and brewed cup that will put your morning Starbucks to the test. Nevertheless, it tends to be the most popular option, with the country's high uncertainty avoidance index — that is, the tendency to avoid unexpected interactions — no doubt playing a role in that. There's nothing social nor unexpected about getting a can of coffee from a vending machine. But there's also the fact that Japanese coffee vending machines are generally cheaper and quicker.

With machines stocked inside of offices and outside of train stations, on the sides of streets both busy and slow, and in both the city and in the countryside —  you'll find different coffee vending machines carrying different varieties and styles of coffee everywhere you go in Japan. It'd be almost impossible to list all of them here, but you can expect to choose from both hot and cold options, unsweetened, sweetened, and flavored options, and black and creamy options at any one vending machine.

How good any vending machine coffee is will vary greatly depending on the brand you get, although you should go in with the understanding that the majority of canned coffees will never taste as good as fresh. You should also know that Japanese serving sizes will be much smaller than those in the U.S.