Why Japan is About to Break 1 Million Vending Machines |

How many disused vending machines can one man fit in his Toyota Century?
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• Why a Japanese Billion...
Feat @AbroadinJapan
00:00 The Weak Yen Tourist Surge Continues!
05:18 Uphill Struggles
10:55 New banknotes making Vending Machines obsolete
18:45 Natsuki's Awful Coffee
21:33 Best sporting events to attend in Japan
25:25 Is Kawagoe Matsuri worth a visit?
[e-mail] for all your messages - and remember you can listen to the show in audio form wherever you get your podcasts - shows.acast.com/abroadinjapan

[@strangevision99]

I think if somebody is buying Natsuki coffee they should be expecting a surprise. He could just call it coffee and randomly change what's inside.

[@VorpalSnickerSnack]

Like a magic

[@robkoper841]

The solution to the vending machine issue will probably be a change-making machine at a central location, turing the new hologram bills into coins.

[@TacComControl]

There's also a different solution that happens on American vending machines whenever a new coin is added or something else changes. Namely just the cash box gets replaced. It's about the size of a half loaf of bread, you can take just that portion off and screw in a new one, and away you go.

[@JasonB808]

The new bills are only going to affect restaurants that use vending machines to dispense meal tickets. These places already have change machines. If not there is usually a convenience store or other manned shop nearby that can exchange the bills for coins. Drink vending machines will not be affected so much. Japanese yen goes up to 500 yen in coins. This is equivalent to a 5 dollar bill. So most Japanese people use coins anyways. It’s just going to be a little inconvenient if you don’t have change. Nearly all US vending machines only accept dollar bills. How many times have we Americans wanted to buy from a vending machine but didn’t have change. Japanese vending machines are just far superior to ours. US vending machines are starting to accept credit cards. They haven’t upgraded them to accept larger bills or the Dollar coin. Many Japanese vending machines accepted IC cards for many years before US did credit cards.

[@Crossingt]

I have a lot of trouble with pronouncing Japanese. My thank you comes out as "Arigato gomyarse". This one of the reasons I don't mind wearing a mask.

[@MyVanir]

@@Crossingt I think you responded to the wrong comment.

[@Crossingt]

@@MyVanir yup. Blame dodgy wifi. Possibly mixed with commenting while exercising thus showing the problem with multitasking.

[@PhilInJapan]

I actually love the taste and aroma of coffee! When I was a kid, my favourite chocolate from the (often at Christmas) trays, were the coffee ones! 🤣

[@fattiger6957]

I didn't used to like coffee, but in recent years I have grown to really enjoy it. Dark roast steeped in a french press. I despise pod coffee.

[@justinhambidge8811]

It’s not just people going to Japan…..Interestingly I bumped into a retired couple who were reading Abroad in Japan and this has now inspired them to go on a long cruise to Japan!

[@justinhambidge8811]

They were relaxing on their seafront apartment balcony in sunny Bournemouth and they set their sights on an adventure to places which you mention in your book

[@stevelknievel4183]

I've just looked it up and apparently there is a Japan Cricket association. Judging by their website, a lot of the clubs are based in universities.

[@VictorFox250]

Thanks mate for this amazing podcast.

[@LuminalSpoon]

The Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka Circuit is meant to be a great sporting event, especially for the die hard fans.

[@robertsneddon731]

Back in 2013 I was wandering around the back streets of a small town in Mukashima just across the strait from Onomichi and I found a dilapidated vending machine that used to sell booze -- beer cans and even bottles of brandy. Empty of course, broken and rusting away gracefully, a symbol of a Japan long gone when if you really really needed a drink at three in the morning your faithful robotic servant would supply you with your needs for mere money. Visiting Onomichi again last year I went looking for where the booze vending machine had been and I was surprised to find it still there, much the worse for wear but defiant against the odds. The area it is located in has a number of abandoned buildings, small workshops closed up seemingly for years with the living spaces above covered in vines.

[@rod.h8064]

It's probably viewable on google maps as they've done streetview on every street of Mukashima. It's potentially even visible in the 3D view

[@colinmathie2710]

I've been into Sumo since 2021, im still trying to get the hang of it, but i love watching it.

[@corikra1392]

Chris, you should definitely visit the Tachineputa festival it's really, really cool. The Neputa are super tall, it is very impressive, definitely worth going. Did a summer trip in 2019, just so I could visit the festivals around Tohoku (Aomori, Hirosaki, Akita, Goshogawara and Morioka). They are all great, but my recommendation would be The Tachineputa in Goshogawara and the Kanto Matsuri in Akita 👍. Why not make a film about the different summer festivals?

[@lucyshnyr5647]

Because poor Chris will probably melt in the process 😅and then there’d be no Abroad in Japan channel anymore 😭I couldn’t bear it!.. :)))

[@EarthGainX]

I really miss the Boss coffee machines…nothing like getting a hot drink on a cold day to warm your hands up and feel like you’re in a Boss Coffee advert 😌

[@sakuraslight]

in Great Yarmouth in norfolk UK there is a UCC coffee machine.

[@karinaw977]

Ooh, don’t ever tell an Australian they don’t drink coffee for the taste. A group of us were in Japan at Easter and the best coffee for the Australian taste was unfortunately McDonald’s McCafe coffee. Basically it’s because McCafe started in Australia because McDonald’s had to find a way to compete the the cafe culture in Australia. Very fussy coffee drinkers in Oz.

[@shirro5]

I tried to count the number of espresso machines in public places in my tiny little rural town once and lost count as bakeries, delis, pubs, clubs, clothes stores, gift shops and more served espresso. It isn't so much that we are all coffee snobs (most people are not) but that there is a floor that isn't worth going below commercially.

[@idealicfool]

I was over there in march-april for 5 weeks and yeah sad to say was disappointed by the lack of coffee culture. I already knew that as with many things, the Japanese took after the americans in that regard, but the reality still hurt to experience

[@adamlee2550]

In the scorching Japanese summer I couldn't get enough of the 7-eleven iced coffee

[@roberttreborable]

Hi Chris and Pete, thanks for the info being a season worker in Japan I've had a Japanese bank account for many years, until this April in Shinjuku a JOBSWORTH at the BANK insisted on closing my Bank account as I would be leaving Japan. As the exchange rate is poor then there the bank charges I was going to just keep the money till I return to Japan, but after hearing Pete tell us the notes are changing I'll be straight down the bank tomorrow morning. Thanks to JOBSWORTH I will have to open another bank account in November.

[@bitfreakazoid]

Surely it will be just an easy swap of the part that takes the bills and not a full swap of the entire machine.

[@TacComControl]

It will. And given that Japan is very much a "No you may NOT throw away your giant ass machine without paying for the dumping costs" type country, they will absolutely be refitting machines all over.

[@jamesc3953]

that's what I had thought also

[@ZeroXSEED]

Machine refit will be done. But knowing Japan it would be done in refitting center, which saves cost but that means conversion will take long-ass time.

[@Big_Blue_Monkey]

I've flown with Air China quite a few times and never had an issue with them. The worse airline I've flown with was a Russian one that was rough, though the absolute worse flight was an RAF plane to Cyprus in the back of a Hercules.

[@errantwinds-up8uu]

I actually know about Mount Omuro from the manga/anime Yuru Camp (which is so cute) as well as Journey Across Japan. I would love to visit Izu! Hilarious story though.

[@JasonB808]

It will take a while for the new bills to circulate. I don’t think it will affect the many drink vending machines as yen go up to 500 yen in coin which is equivalent to a 5 dollar bill. Most people use coins on vending machine anyways. It just is a convenience that it accepted 1000 yen bills. That would be the equivalent of putting a 10 dollar bill in a US vending machine. The only places it would affect are restaurants that use meal ticket vending machines, and train station ticket machines.

[@pmorton7960]

It took a few months for my local vending machine to catch up to when they updated the 500 yen piece.

[@NekoBoyOfficial]

The biggest reason to not have credit card readers on vending machines is that payment processors take a cut. With cash that's not an issue. Same reason Winco only takes cash and debit in the US.

[@caesartopacio9636]

When and where, the first vending machine was installed? Asking for a friend!

[@DoomPlague]

@12:50 Did Chris say "piksa" vending machine? You slipped, Mouse! You slipped!

[@SotonyaAcckaya]

Rf card reader can be slapped onolder vending machines, it is in fact easier than adding new cash reader.

[@timsievers2067]

But then every vending machine would need to be connected to the internet.

[@SotonyaAcckaya]

@@timsievers2067 connection via mobile network is usually a part of rf reader ana i never ever seen a part of japan without network coverage)

[@Queltamas]

For the new bills, can't shops and vending machines just replace the scanner that 'accepts' the bills?

[@0xdeadbeef444]

Will the old notes still be valid? I have some left over from my last trip.

[@AnOldYoungPerson]

Hello cyclops Chris and puny Pete! I finished watching the BBC series Race across the world recently series 4 to be precice. (Highly recommend it btw) And the 4 series saw, a group 5 couples backpacking it from Sapporo, Hokkaido to Gili Meno in Lombok Indonesia only with the, budget of £1,390 to get by with, and to complete the 15,000km journey to progress through japan the contestants were told they were not allowed to use the Bullet train at all. But still despite all the trials and tribulations the show went through it was a very fun and enjoyable experience and but looked very gruelling & exciting for all involved. But in relation to the show my question to you is, is it relatively easy to backpack across japan on a limited or almost shoe string budget, and explore the country, with or without the use of the speedy Bullet train? And how easy is it for foreigners to pick up local work and find accommodation? Love the podcast guys been listing since day dot of its release! Love to you Chris & Pete.

[@AllanAdamson]

My first job was in second grade I was going to Catholic school at the time in Milwaukee and I would load vending machines and my pay rate was just as bad as the idea of me working as a child because I would only get paid on the products that sold that I loaded into the machine and I would get 5 to 10 cents per item

[@1964corvan]

most newer machines would be just a matter of changing out the bill receiver will a new one. probably even many of somewhat older ones will be upgrade-able as well. and the realy old ones youd just be using coins.

[@TriChaser]

8:00 I thought the story will end with the lady being the hotel owner and greeting him at the entrance.

[@Kisai_Yuki]

I don't necessarily know why Japan is "behind" on vending machine money systems, but I remember in Canada when we terminated the 1 dollar and 2 dollar bills (and also the change to the polymer bills) MOST machines didn't even accept bills. There was always a change machine somewhere in the vicinity that dispensed quarters or dollar coins that the machines would accept. The same machines used at arcades for tokens. It was only in the last 10 years (with the arrival of chip cards) that all vending machines started having chip card readers on them, even some pretty old ones. Because you have to realize that most machines the actual "bill receptor" portion of the machine is actually not even part of the vending process. It's a separate box that tells the "vending machine" how much credit there is, and the machine has an entirely separate box for vending change. How the machine usually works is that when you insert coins, it counts these individually, and anything that "overflows" the change dispenser goes into a box in the bottom of the machine. So to add a chip reader unit or a bill acceptor usually just connects to the machine's "credit counter" and you get an "Exact change only" LED light up when the machine runs out of change. Newer machines, ones that "know the price" (eg anything produced since about 1990) on a per-item level, actually work slightly different, so when you put a card reader on the machine, it actually waits for you to select the item before trying to charge. So the card reader will either return "credit amount equals vending request" or it will go "insufficient credit" if the card reader denies it. Just in order for the card reader to work, it needs network connectivity. This is why vendors often want to replace the machines entirely because adding the network connectivity also gives them the ability to know when to replace and replenish inventory, and when refrigerated/heated machines aren't working correctly, but also adjust the prices when temperatures are favorable to it.

[@hulahickey6959]

Imagine taking the time to find Natsuki's salon and then being too busy to hangout until you can chat and have a photo

[@KORTOKtheSTRONG]

sounds like a band name, cat mask and the big crisps

[@KebaRPG]

Natsuki Coffee reminds me of Chicory Tea "Coffee" that some people drink.

[@mythicaldata6297]

I feel as if you could replace just the money reader, even if it's more than it should cost

[@henoji777]

RIP convenience? Looking forward to listening to this edit: this seems like an avoidable problem, or else why can't they sell a bill slot that is compatible? (Also early so I will ask the question to Pete and Chris: what's the most memorable art exhibition you've been to in Japan?)

[@Elquinjena]

maybe the vending machine areas have some sort of currency to token exchange? easier to get 1 machine to accept the new currency...than to replace all of the other ones..???

[@heww3960]

Never understood why the prices are higher in the vending machines than in the store. Makes no sense to me. Btw I have a 5000 banknote over from my last visit. How long will the transition period be?

[@TheHolm333]

Love the like a magic sign but, its a bit distracting in the background. I find myself halfway through a story not knowing what's been said because im watching the bloody sign like a mindless zombie 🤣

Surely you can just replace the note reader on those vending machines?

[@AClockhead103]

As a doctor coffee is integral to my da. Without 5-6 cups a day I can't imagine being on call in the ER.

[@rod.h8064]

The vending machines should be fine, they just need to replace the note acceptor head. Also, vending machines aren't everywhere in Hokkaido there's large stretches with none.

[@oWatson]

So would you say.. it’s not too much volcano?

[@darklightangles]

The crepe vending machine I've tried did not taste good The breading was gooey 😅

[@MashaB-pk8hl]

The best tasting coffee of the day is the first cup in the morning. I’m down to a cup a day.

[@josephpage6828]

Up hill struggler, i was expecting a plot twist the "elderly Lady was the attendant at his hotel location". 😅

[@TheCyberMantis]

I want Yuko Suzuhana on the 1,000 yen note. 🥰

[@sirBrouwer]

I am somewhat surpiced that Natsuki doesn't just have a Marlborough vending machine at his shop. However he might just turn himself in his best costumer.

[@user-ql6qg7bh3p]

They will only need to change note reading module, not the whole machine

[@kelvinc]

It's frustrating how people will ask about the tiniest minutiae about Japanese etiquette, while others are being absolute monsters in Shibuya and Shinjuku ruining tourists' reputations anyway. 🤦

[@CDBIII]

True, but most people can see that they are an extreme minority. The fact that the wrongdoers stand out so much is actually a testament to how little it actually happens (relatively). If it was truly rampant, people would start to adapt/tune it out, akin to olfactory fatigue [Read: Smells eventually filter out of your brain/senses the longer you’re around them].

[@zachcrager2279]

In any country you go to, or even in your own country, just be a normal good person who’s respectful (btw I’m referring to the embarrassing minority of disrespectful tourists)

[@isunamitch]

Futo station in Izu ?!? Not a good spot to stop and get to your hotel... Better go to the next station Izu-Kogen, there you can hire a taxi for sure!!!

[@Sh1tfaceMagee-db3px]

Question: your friends who are visiting & presumably new to japan, are they statng "it's a feast" due to the fact that at home japanese food done well is expensive morsels / treat of a singular dish? ..if I were to go out in japan to eat numerous servings of quality "proper" japanese food I've been yearning for then i'd think i'd had a feast likely unobtainable back home, food experiences shape a lot of perception as to a country as a whole, so i'd be stupifyingly grateful for a multi serving dinner, in the uk I will pat my stomach & say "superb, thank you, I am replete" to a serving host to indicate my gratitude at their effort, ..so what is simple & well taken as a compliment for a tongue tied anglo-saxon to use & sound like you mean it?

[@toraneko_maru]

Get a vending machine for the studio!

[@nicholausbuthmann1421]

Somebody needs to figure out how to change out the "Bill Changers" on the "Older Established Vending Machines".

[@schoolofalchemy]

Just upgrade the program so the bill validator recognize the new money

[@sweepauto]

Sounds like a lot of cheap vending machines are about to hit the market

[@TeaBurn]

Since Japan charges you for large garbage disposal, I predict a lot of vending machines being illegally dumped off the side of the road in rural areas. So you might be able to pick one up for free, with a few dings and dents.

[@fattiger6957]

4:00 Is it weird (or snobby sounding) that I try to pronounce Japanese words the Japanese way when I say them while speaking English? I just find Japanese words pronounced without a Japanese accent to sound really bad. For example, I think "sakura" is a very pleasant sounding word when said with a Japanese accent. But it sounds gross and ugly when said with an English or American accent. Or like how when non-Japanese people say "Watanabe", they put emphasis on the wrong syllables and it sounds very strange and awkward.

[@rix1547]

if you are going to a wrestling match don't forget to invite american pete!

[@SkateRatYuki]

My partner won't stop talking about Coolish thanks to Pete... ಠ⁠_⁠ಠ

[@user-oi8wt3rk6s]

Considering people come into the United States without any concern at all for the customs and language of this country, or what Americans think about this it; I think Americans, overall, do a good job trying to be considerate when visiting Japan and other countries. Which is why we listen to videos like this. Of course some people are jerks, and they get all the news coverage. Native English speakers are never going to be fluent in all the countries they visit. It is ridiculous for native speakers to expect fluency or correct pronunciation from people who spend two weeks in their country. This year I have visited South Korea, and will soon travel to Japan, then Taiwan. That is three Asian languages I have studied so I can communicate on a very basic level. Texas summer vs Japanese summer. I wonder which one is hotter.

[@Veles343]

You should rename the channel to Afraid Of Cocking Up In Japan

[@deanlennard8576]

a quick google search - The Japan national cricket team is the men's team that represents the country of Japan in international cricket. The team is organised by the Japan Cricket Association (JCA), which has been a member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) since 1989.

[@caterpuss]

NGL I feel like 1mill vending machines is not as much as I thought there would be.

[@veronicaescobedo6441]

no! Coffee tastes great ...

[@BobBob-ls5vz]

So basically the whole new banknotes issues has been pushed to benefit vending machines manufactures… Knowing how Japanese politics work, I bet that finance minister’s brother in law has the biggest vending machine factory in Japan…

[@AcornElectron]

Eid Mubarak?

[@lordflashheart7427]

what's wrong with air China lol was seriously thing of it next time as the flights are half the price

[@nicholausbuthmann1421]

We here in California HAVE TO BURY all our Utility Lines to avoid any further Wildfires that burn entire Towns & Districts of Cities to the ground !

[@Stephen-up3sd]

Yeah - the Dem’s have allowed the infrastructure to deteriorate, cause fires and then blame global warming!

[@apersonlikeanyother6895]

The answer is New banknotes. Skip to 13:28.

[@ylee5923]

Funny, I thought Japan had many more vending machines than that, lol!

[@johnwarner8569]

Machines everywhere but you cant walk with a drink down the street! No trash cans except at the nachines. Discreet consumption! Japan is a really strange place

[@OwnyOne]

But I drink decaffeinated coffee D:

[@jamiejones642]

Cigar vending machine I would love that 💩

[@toyota420xp]

If you had one million vending machine shouldn't you have one million trash cans next to those vending machines but I don't think they do

[@MilanDavidovic-rj7sd]

Move to Japan and start a punk band called "Weak Yen Tourist Surge"

[@MilanDavidovic-rj7sd]

First album title: Cocking Up In Japan

[@MilanDavidovic-rj7sd]

Second album: The Weak Yen Tourist Surge Continues!

[@seanshatters]

kieran or ciarán? they are pronounced very differently

[@lordflashheart7427]

no cash is king !

[@FunkyBukkyo]

The tip to traveling to any country outside your own, don't be an a-hole. Always be respectful, don't be a Karen, and remember that you are a guest in a foreign country. You are representing not just yourself, but also your country and other foreign tourists as well.

[@natefunk1]

I'll do you one better. The tip to life in general is don't be an a-hole.😅

[@FunkyBukkyo]

@@natefunk1 even better 👍

[@svumaster]

they drink rock star because they think its made by the same company that made the GTA games.

[@chriswilson6732]

when a place becomes cheap to visit you always get the wrong type of tourists

[@ffwast]

can't have those filthy poors coming around

[@Equ1n0x88]

Not always. Sometime you get passport bros looking for cheap fucks

[@someotherguy43]

Say what you really wanna say

[@Netro1992]

​@@someotherguy43 white Americans are the worst tourist because they think the country they are in is poorer and should grovel for their American dollars.

[@pbbunnyz1784]

​@@someotherguy43 homie HATES poor people

[@DocRock]

Chris please use the correct pronunciation when teaching the Brits and Yanks. I’ve even hear some NHK presenters talking about the English pronunciation of Japanese words and there is no such thing. Teach it correctly please. I’m like 80% fluent and I works hard to teach the proper way. What you just did is even helpful. When westerners come to ask for help and they are saying it wrong it makes the instant translation even harder. Appreciate you.

[@Jasper904]

Chris, as someone who grew up bilingual, you didn’t mess the pronunciation of the Japanese words up when speaking English. Most languages have accepted ways of pronouncing foreign words. You always pronounce them in the accent you’re currently speaking with. If you switch accents mid sentence, not only is it difficult for the speaker, the person they’re speaking to will most likely not understand the word if they don’t speak the language it’s from. You pronounce Kobe with an English accent if you’re speaking English, just like you’d pronounce Leicester with a Japanese accent if you’re speaking in Japanese. It’s something that keeps popping up lately, just like people saying they feel like it’s racist to say the English words with a Japanese accent. No, part of learning a language is also learning to pronounce the words they’ve borrowed from other languages, including your own.

[@Oosran]

I normally don't comment, but I just had to butt in to say that us coffee drinkers who drink it for the taste do exist. I only drink coffee if it tastes good, so if I can't have good coffee I just don't have coffee. Though admittedly I used to drink copious amounts of coffee back in uni and getting over the withdrawal symptoms in order to cut down on the consumption did take some effort.

[@saltycross]

💜💜💜

[@kila9249]

les go

[@nicholausbuthmann1421]

Indeed, I consume Coffee & Black Tea For THE CAFFEINE ! "THOUT SHALL NOT DEPRIVE I OF MY CAFFEINE" ! Hee, Hee, Hee !

[@lushfruit]

Podcast 10 of asking Christ to speedrun nearly every main temple in Tokyo !!

[@RevelSix]

you might have to keep asking if you want Christ to do all that, i think he's still working on resurrecting

[@auroraflash]

YyyyyeeeeeeaAAAAAAAHHhhhH

[@MrApaHotel]

Why is there often no napkins at restaurants? Don’t Japanese wipe their mouths? 😄

[@Alex.H.B.1970something]

A cup of British workmens tea has more caffeine than a cup of poxy coffee.

[@zenchan-wg8gf]

Pin comment plss 🥹🥹

[@MrFishandChipsOBE]

Only loons want a cashless society - welcome to 2 loons

[@Lordandsaviorofchickens]

Oof... dont like the censorship... :(

[@doubletime9098]

I took Air China this past April and it wasn’t bad. I don’t know what Chris went through

[@gilcooper6548]

Like my comment or I'll remain a sad boy 😢 Please and thanks

[@Oddragnar]

Don't rely on likes for your happiness

[@amlannanda4023]

Lmao sad boy

[@Thomes-Maisling]

Strange boy! What's a like on YT worth anyway?

[@mikaelandersson1288]

These podcasts are so boring... good for when you have insomnia.

[@Jiberiel]

I have to disagree on the coffee topic. I drink coffee for the taste, since i've grown resistant against the caffeine. It doesnt make me any more awake :D

[@zachcrager2279]

Depends, what coffee do u enjoy