Japan is home to roughly 127 million people and has one of the most concentrated populations on Earth.According to the Vending Machine Manufacturers Association, Japan has one vending machine for every 23 people
Obviously these machines are very popular in Japan and can be found almost anywhere from street corners to office blocks.
In the UK however, vending machines seem more commonplace in the workplace than on the street – which is probably a direct result of our fondness for vandalism and graffiti. Having a much lower crime and disorder rate than the UK, Japan’s dispensers command much more respect than their Western counterparts and are more widely received therefore.
Although not as widespread as in Japan, vending machines first appeared commercially in the UK during the early nineteenth century, used to vend post cards in London. The first ones introduced in the US supplied gum to train users on platforms.
The Japanese machines often make use of colours to attract people and t
o distinguish between hot and cold drink products. The products tend not to be disguised behind panels and compartments, instead are displayed naturally so the consumers can see what they will actually get before making the purchase.The multitude of items on offer from these machines can vary from drinks to novelty items. There seems as if there is no limit to the variety of items that can be sold from these machines. Below is a (non-exhaustive) list of various items offered by the ‘metal vendor:’
- Drinks (hot & cold)
- Confectionary
- Snacks
- Cigarettes
- Ipods
- Trainers
- Alcohol
- Novelty Gifts
- Rice
- Flowers
- Newspapers & magazines
- Lingerie
- Batteries
- Tickets
- Toilet paper
- Umbrellas
- Eggs
- MP3/4 audio (music & audio books)
- Digital Media (films and computer games)
- Stationary
- Vehicle hire (booking & key collection)
- Maps
An alternative concept is a ‘reverse’ vending machine; whereby the consumer places a used plastic container in the machine which it then proceeds to wash and compact, before returning a redeemable voucher to the consumer.
In today’s economic and environmentally conscious world, these machi
nes can only become more popular. Extensions of this principle could be developed to include refuse collection and garment washing.The future is uncertain for the humble coffee vending machine but must be optimistic for the vending business in general, even if only in Japan.
Vending machines in Japan are as commonplace as temples, bicycles, and karaoke booths. It's not uncommon to see a street lined with a dozen or more machines selling products ranging from cold and hot drinks to flowers or rice. And almost none of these vending machines are vandalized or non-functional.
According to the Vending Machine Manufacturers Association, Japan has one vending machine for every 23 people. Here are just some of the Vending Machines available in Japan:
Umbrella Vending Machine
Pizza Vending Machine
Popcorn Vending Machine
Porn Vending Machine
Rice Vending Machine
Flight Insurance Vending Machine
Flowers Vending Machine
Hot Snacks Vending Machine
Horse Racing Betting Vending Machine
Pizza Vending Machine
Popcorn Vending Machine
Porn Vending Machine
Rice Vending Machine
Flight Insurance Vending Machine
Flowers Vending Machine
Hot Snacks Vending Machine
Horse Racing Betting Vending Machine
Name Card Vending Machine
Now why would a cigarette vending machine need to recognize faces? Apparently, this "Child Check System" introduced by Japanese company Fujitaka uses facial recognition to determine if the person buying cigarettes is over the legal age limit, which is currently set at 20 in Japan. A camera embedded in the vending machine takes a picture, compares it with its database of 100,000 faces. It even checks for lines and skin tones to ascertain a person's age.
We have it that the Fujitaka Child Check System will be installed in about half a million vending machines in Japan from July this year.
Whether this system actually works in stopping underaged consumers from smoking is still too early to tell. After all, there are lots of people who look younger than their actual age, and some who appear more mature than they are. Besides, young people can still easily buy cigarettes from convenience stores. So what's next? A vending machine that determines if you are too fat to consume sugared drinks? Hey, you never know.
If all the regular ways to give up smoking fail, then a new Japanese machine that counts wrinkles and determines skin age could make a pretty good deterrent.A Japanese company is developing a vending machine that counts wrinkles and skin sagging to check a smoker's age.
The face recognition technology is actually aimed at stopping anyone under the legal age of 20 from buying cigarettes. However it will also give smokers a fright if their predicted age is older than it actually is.
From July onwards in Japan, vending machine companies could be prosecuted if cigarettes are sold to anyone under the legal age.
People buying cigarettes who fail a digital camera 'age test' must show the machine an ID card to determine if they are legally allowed to smoke.
The system compares facial features including bone structure, sags and crow's feet against a record of 100,000 people.
A spokesman for the new technology, Hajime Yamamoto told Reuters: 'With face recognition, so long as you've got some change and you are an adult, you can buy cigarettes like before.'
He added: 'The problem of minors borrowing identification cards to purchase cigarettes could be avoided as well.'
Japan has 570,000 tobacco vending machines and although underage smoking is on the decline, a 2004 survey showed 14% of boys and 4% of girls between 17 and 18 smoke everyday.
