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Tag - vending-machines

 
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July 24, 2026
 

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VENDING MACHINES

Beverage companies have been forced to rethink the vending machine business.
BUSINESS / Companies / FOCUS
Mar 12, 2026
Is Japan pulling the plug on vending machines?
Competition and cost-consciousness conspire against the ubiquitous, and legendary, beverage sales channel.
A can containing air from Hiroshima Prefecture and sold under the name Hiroshima Air
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Regional Voices: Hiroshima
Mar 2, 2026
Vending machine in Hiroshima offers cans of air from the prefecture
The company behind the cans says they¡¯re going viral and hopes they will become the prefecture¡¯s new specialty.
Vending machine enthusiast Kenzaburo Ishida
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Society
Oct 24, 2024
Useful even in disasters: Japan¡¯s ever-evolving vending machines
Vending machine enthusiast Kenzaburo Ishida breaks down their unique appeal, evolution and crucial role in times of disaster.
A customer buys a ticket for ramen at a vending machine at Goumen Maruko ramen shop in Tokyo.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Society
Jun 8, 2024
Japan runs on vending machines. It¡¯s about to break millions of them.
New yen notes set to be introduced this summer won¡¯t be compatible with many machines that businesses like ramen shops rely on.
Gold prices change daily, reflecting wider market movements, but start at about 88,000 won ($64) for a 0.5-gram bar.
BUSINESS
Jun 8, 2024
You can now buy gold bars from vending machines in South Korea
Prices change daily, reflecting wider market movements, but start at about 88,000 won ($64) for a 0.5-gram bar.
Coca-Cola Bottlers Japan plans to introduce several thousand more vending machines with digital price displays that can be controlled remotely to vary prices according to demand.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 15, 2023
Coca-Cola Japan to expand trial of dynamic-price vending machines
The dynamic pricing scheme allows the prices of vending machine items to be raised when demand is high and lowered when sales are low.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 11, 2023
¡®Forest¡¯ of carbon dioxide-sucking vending machines planned in Japan
Starting with about 30 units in the Kanto and Kansai area, the experiment is part of plans to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.
Japan Times
CARTOONS / ZERO GRAVITY
Apr 15, 2023
Roger Dahl on tea ceremony
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 16, 2023
Japan¡¯s upscale vending machines now offer caviar and wagyu
Aided by the pandemic push to minimize contact with others, food-dispensing machines have emerged as a rare spark of growth for the ailing sector.
Japan Times
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / History / 51³Ô¹ÏÍø TIMES GONE BY
Sep 1, 2022
Japan Times 1997: Japan shocked by news of Princess Diana¡¯s death
Twenty-five years ago, news of Princess Diana¡¯s death spread to Japan. Comparisons are drawn to media coverage of the Japanese royal family, and editors explain what made her popular here.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Longform
May 9, 2022
Out of the box: Japan¡¯s vending machines get a modern makeover amid pandemic
The health crisis has highlighted the merits of the unmanned dispensers, leading to a flurry of new ¡ª and sometimes bizarre ¡ª products being offered by the electronic boxes.
Japan Times
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Media / BIG IN 51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Jul 10, 2021
Japanese vending machines: the cutting edge of merchandising ¡­ and on the brink of irrelevance?
Media reports focusing on Japan¡¯s quirky vending machine culture dive into what new items are on offer and the risk they face due to competition from convenience stores.
Japan Times
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Mar 9, 2021
Vending machines help ease access to COVID-19 tests in Japan
Seven machines, each holding about 60 PCR testing kits have been set up around the greater Tokyo area.
Japan Times
CARTOONS / ZERO GRAVITY
Jun 28, 2020
Roger Dahl on Japan¡¯s vending machines
COMMUNITY / Voices / OVERHEARD
Aug 17, 2019
Lofty life goals
¡®I had a dream last night that I had the keys to all the cans.¡¯
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 26, 2017
Osaka¡¯s ?1 sales energize shoppers but not good for BOJ¡¯s inflation quest
Osaka is famed for it¡¯s cheap prices, with ?1 supermarket sales, ?10 drinks and discount train tickets sold right next to the station. That attracts thrifty consumers and tourists, but may be undercutting the central bank¡¯s efforts to generate sustained price rises.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Aug 19, 2017
Gachapon: Tracing the evolution of Japan¡¯s colorful toy capsules
Where else but Japan could you buy a miniature version of Edvard Munch¡¯s ¡°The Scream¡± figure crouching over a squat toilet, horror-struck? It¡¯s one of thousands of ingeniously designed trinkets you can buy for a pittance from toy machines across the nation. They¡¯re subversive, beautifully crafted and...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Aug 4, 2017
French can buy fresh oysters from vending machines
In a change from chocolates and fizzy drinks, the French are starting to offer fresh oysters from vending machines in the hope of selling more of the delicacy outside business hours.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jul 22, 2017
¡®Roadside Lights¡¯: Capturing Japan through its lonely vending machines
Photographer Eiji Ohashi gained a deeper appreciation of Japan¡¯s ubiquitous vending machines one harsh night in his Hokkaido hometown of Wakkanai, Japan¡¯s northernmost city.
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 15, 2015
Abe¡¯s deflation fight has automated foes on nearly every Tokyo street corner
They stand resolutely on street corners around Japan, proclaiming that deflation has not been vanquished, much as the Abe administration and the central bank have tried.
Japan scientists identify clusters of protein believed to trigger Alzheimer¡¯s disease
A team of researchers said they found a ¡°seed¡± that accelerates the amyloid beta accumulation process in the brain, naming it ¡°Peak 1 amyloid beta,¡± as seen in a mouse's brain.
Indian brothers make manga debut in Japan
Two Indian brothers made their manga debut in Japan with "Kung Fu Kung Fool" ¡ª an action-comedy series that follows the adventures of a notorious thief and a young boy.
Japan weighs regulating Pokemon cards amid trading mania
A Pokemon event is held in Jakarta on July 11
Low-income families in Japan cut food and air conditioning during summer break
Yumiko Watanabe, the chairperson of nonprofit Kidsdoor, explains the results of a survey in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward on July 1.
Iran strikes on CIA facilities prompt questions about possible Russian role
Iranian drones are displayed in an undisclosed location in Iran, in this handout image obtained on Jan. 13, 2025.U.S. officials have acknowledged that Russia has ?provided targeting ?and other support for Iran in its drone strikes on U.S. targets in the Persian Gulf region.
The sci-fi sensibilities of electronic trio Black Boboi
Black Boboi was formed in 2018 when solo artists Julia Shortreed, Utena Kobayashi and Ermhoi came together under Kobayashi¡¯s newly founded label, Bindividual.
A perfect storm: Kaze Fujii fans flock to Fuji Rock
Okayama-born singer-songwriter Kaze Fujii has carved out a distinctive place in Japanese pop since his major-label debut in 2019.
Can Japanese comedy get laughs in English? Yoshimoto Kogyo lets the jokes rip
Wes-P has millions of followers and his viral clips made him recognizable out of Japan.
The 180-day locals: Life on Japan¡¯s digital nomad visa
Christopher Flinn works remotely from Tokyo earlier this month. Japan issued 646 digital nomad visas in 2025, but tourism officials are hoping to increase that figure in the coming years, with Japan's relatively cheap cost of living and the weak yen seen as potential draws for young professionals.
Japan reveals hint of new defense spending target in fiscal blueprint
The Self-Defense Forces' Type 16 mobile combat vehicle fires during a joint live-fire drill with U.S. Marines as part of the annual Resolute Dragon exercises in Yufu, Oita Prefecture, on June 28.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo¡¯s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo¡¯s ¡®stadium of desire¡¯

Longform

For many people, utility poles and power lines have become such a familiar part of Japan¡¯s landscape that they often go unnoticed.
Why Japan¡¯s utility poles won¡¯t be disappearing anytime soon
By Alex K.T. Martin

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