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July 05, 2025
 

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VENDING MACHINES

Vending machine enthusiast Kenzaburo Ishida
JAPAN / 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.
JAPAN / 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
JAPAN / History / JAPAN 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 — and sometimes bizarre — products being offered by the electronic boxes.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
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
JAPAN
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 Times
BUSINESS
Sep 28, 2015
Chubu airport targets foreign visitors with first SIM card vending machine
Chubu Centrair International Airport will get its first prepaid SIM card vending machine Tuesday, NTT Communications Corp. said.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jul 24, 2015
The A-Z on Japan's new SIM card vending machines
On Friday, two SIM card vending machines were launched at Narita International Airport aimed at making travel easier for Japan's increasing number of inbound tourists.
A prophesied disaster (likely) won’t strike Japan this weekend
A viral manga prediction of a July 5 disaster has gripped Japan with anxiety and triggered an economic impact, but experts warn that while such dates are unreliable, the threat of a massive earthquake remains real. 
Magnitude 5.5 earthquake jars Tokara Islands amid flurry of seismic activity
A strong quake struck off the Tokara Islands on Thursday afternoon, with the island chain having recorded around 1,000 earthquakes since a burst of seismic activity first began on June 21.
Japan to require flight passengers to keep power banks within sight
The transport ministry has announced new regulations requiring flight passengers to keep power banks within sight to mitigate fire risks while on board planes.
Ghibli’s Isao Takahata exhibit shows how beloved anime is made
“The man who planted Japanese animation” exhibition includes a variety of sketches, drawings and animation cels from Isao Takahata films such as color design for characters by Michiyo Yasuda from "Grave of the Fireflies."
Residents of Tokara Islands begin evacuation as seismic swarm continues
Details about evacuations from Akuseki Island, located in the Tokara island chain in Kagoshima Prefecture, is seen written on a whiteboard in the city of Kagoshima on Thursday.
Ghibli’s Isao Takahata exhibit shows how beloved anime is made
“The man who planted Japanese animation” exhibition includes a variety of sketches, drawings and animation cels from Isao Takahata films such as color design for characters by Michiyo Yasuda from "Grave of the Fireflies."
Flag football facing challenges and opportunities ahead
Japan’s women’s flag football team at the 2025 International Bowl in Los Angeles in June. The sport is enjoying continued growth in the country.
From Hokusai’s Great Wave, shinkansen to One Piece: a cultural treasure box for Lego Japan
Michael Ebbesen, general manager of Lego Japan, says Lego bricks based on Japanese culture have a rich global appeal and are sellable around the world.
With farmed fish, RelationFish swims against the tide in fine dining
Chef Hideaki Matsuo (middle) and the staff of Oseto Suisan Fisheries prepare to check on their sustainably farmed fish.
As Southeast Asia heats up, a Japanese cooling giant sees a major opportunity
An employee of Daikin Cambodia explains the use of different tools during an air conditioner installation training session in Phnom Penh. Daikin is one of Japan’s oldest air conditioning companies, but as Japan’s population falls, the firm is keying in on overseas growth.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji
By Alex K.T. Martin

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