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Have You Ever Used a Vending Machine in Japan?

Juri T.

Oct 24, 2026

Konnichiwa, everyone! I’m Juri, a Japanese tutor :)

In my previous column, I wrote about convenience stores in Japan. This time, I’d like to introduce Japanese vending machines! By the way, many Japanese people shorten “jidōhanbaiki” (自動販売機, vending machine) to “jihanki” (自販機). Japanese has many other expressions like this, where words are shortened. Interesting, isn’t it?

In Japan, you can find vending machines in many places, such as residential areas, along streets, at train stations, and inside buildings. They sell a wide variety of products, from cold drinks to hot drinks. Recently, you can even find vending machines that sell food, snacks, toys, and figures. There are so many different kinds!

◆ What Can You Buy from Vending Machines? ◆
Common drinks: Water, tea, black tea, coffee, juice, and more
☆ Unusual hot drinks: Corn soup, miso soup, and more
☆ Sweet treats: Snacks such as cookies and gummy candies, cakes, macarons, ice cream, and more
☆ Other foods: Ramen, frozen foods, and more
☆ Toys: Anime figures, cards, stuffed animals, and more

*Note: Items marked with ☆ are not available from every vending machine.

◆ You Can Buy Both Hot and Cold Drinks from the Same Vending Machine! ◆
Many drink vending machines in Japan sell both hot and cold drinks. It’s so convenient to be able to buy both from a single machine. Today, we see this feature as something quite normal, but it wasn’t always available. In fact, it seems that this technology was introduced around 1970. Being able to sell both hot and cold drinks made it easier for companies to increase their sales. It’s interesting how this technology created a convenient system for both customers and businesses!

When I researched vending machines, I discovered many things I didn’t know before. They’re more fascinating than you might think.

If you visit Japan, why not look for a vending machine and see what kinds of products you can find? :)

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The opinions expressed in this column are the author's own and do not reflect the view of Cafetalk.

Lesson

Easy Japanese (Beginner & Elementary)

50 min
2,500 Points

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