Random Japan #4 // Like a Boss

Thirsty?

Vending machines are everywhere in Japan, as I'm sure most of you have heard/read by now. In larger cities you can find several of them on every block. Even in smaller cities and towns, they are fairly common. A few years back I had a gig in the countryside of Gifu; I would get off the train at a tiny station in the middle of nowhere and walk through rice fields for 20 minutes until I got to my destination. On the way, right next to a rice field and seemingly powered by nothing (battery powered?), was a vending machine.

Thank low street crime^† for the sheer abundance of them. On the negative side, they do waste a lot of power, with many of them staying lit up all night, and they can be an eyesore. On the plus side, you can get some warm Boss coffee anytime you want! Most of it is more sugar than coffee, but I'm sure that is half the appeal for some folks.

Footnotes:

†: I'm told we can thank the Yakuza for this. They may be involved in other things that we'd rather not have, but they do keep tight control of street crime. I don't know how true that is, but the idea is common enough than many Japanese tell it to me.