The Japanese Vending Machine

In honor of the movie The Japanese Version, this weeks topic is, well, the Japanese version. I chose the Japanese version of vending machines. In the States vending machines have almost exclusively snacks or soda, although I have seen vending machines with electronics such as iPods in them at airports. Regardless, people have no doubt heard of the famed panty vending machines of Japan. I have not seen any used panty sold in vending machines (although I have seen them for sale in certain stores in Osaka's Den Den Town, but that is a topic for another time) but I have seen other items in vending machines that might catch an American off guard. The first picture is of an Coca-Cola brand vending machine. It has some standard and less standard things. Some soda that isn't as common in the U.S. and Japanese brands that aren't know, or at least well known, in the States. That is to be expected. A selection of canned coffee is a little stranger, especially for a Coke machine, but it is within the realm of possibility. It isn't until the second picture that we see anything really strange. It is a beer vending machine. The picture I have is not very good, but it has a variety of beer and even canned whiskey and jarred sake. And anyone may use the machine. There is nothing to verify age or anything else. As long as you have 200 en, you can buy yourself a can of beer or even a jar of sake. And it is less then a minute's walk from the dorm. In the U.S. that would just lead to underaged alcoholics.