Vending Machines

One thing I really like in Japan are the ubiquitous vending machines. They are especially useful when I do long runs. For example, I ran for an hour and 45 minutes yesterday. During this time, you definitely need to hydrate. As I don't like to carry a bottle around in my hand, and don't own a belt or camelbak, vending machines are the perfect solution.

You rarely need to go farther than a few hundred meters to find the next vending machine, so the term "ubiquitous" really hits the mark. Most vending machines offer an assortment of beverages for as little as 100 to 150 Yen. Now, the thing that amazes me most is that the machines do not only offer various cold drinks, but also hot ones. Fancy a coffee? Black? Or with milk and sugar? How about tea? Or hot lemonade? Of course, you can also get cold sodas, and even cold coffee.

A vending machine. The drinks in the top two rows are cold (see the blue bar with the prices?), and the bottom row has hot drinks, indicated by the red bar.

There seem to be very few general-purpose trash cans in Japan, but every vending machine has a container where you can return empty bottles or cans. So, when I get thirsty while I'm running, I can just get a nice, cool drink from a vending machine, drink while running, and dispose of the empty bottle at one of the next vending machines. Very convenient!

Now, as far as I have seen, the overwhelming majority of vending machines sell beverages. Maybe about 1 in 20 sells cigarettes. I haven't yet seen vending machines selling anything else - in particular, I haven't come across those selling used girl underwear that some of my weird German friends are always obsessing about...