File this under Say it ain't so, Joe. From nippon.com:
According to the Japan Vending System Manufacturers Association’s calculations, there were 4,271,400 vending machines nationwide as of the end of 2017. Compared to the previous year, the number of beverage vending machines, which account for 57% of all machines in Japan, fell by 1.2% to 2,443,800.
Why are they disappearing? Convenience stores.
Their greatest threat comes from convenience stores. While vending machines’ trump card used to be that items could be bought 24 hours a day, they cannot compete against convenience stores that provide a wide array of products around the clock.
While the era of finding super strange things in vending machines has been over for a while, and the much beloved beer vending machines also have mostly disappeared, it is still nice to be able to buy hot coffee in winter or cold drinks in summer at these things and then have the machine thank you politely—arigatou gozaimashita—while an LED woman bows.
A Japan without vending machines... if this trend continues, it could in in the future.
They will be missed!
LINK: Vending Machines in Losing Battle Against Convenience Stores
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 | David LaSpina is an American photographer lost in Japan, trying to capture the beauty of this country one photo at a time. More? |
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I need to get to Japan before that happens. Seems like a cool little island country to visit.
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I agree :)
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