The most vandalised vending machines in Japan? We check out a grungy duo at America Village

This pair turns heads on the street, but do they even work?

In Japan, vending machines dispense everything from insects to origami, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. And while the most unusual vending machines are often located off the beaten track, the most common ones you’ll come across will quench your thirst with a selection of hot and cold beverages.

These drink machines are usually shiny, clean, and well-maintained, but sometimes there are types that are a little grungier and more street. Case in point are these two specimens, recently discovered by our roving reporter Mr Sato.

These machines are located in America Mura (America Village), an area of Osaka near Shinsaibashi Station that’s been a hub of youth culture since the ’70s, when import shops selling miscellaneous goods from America popped up here, earning it its moniker.

The streets are still packed with used clothing stores, and the young, street vibe of the village extends to a number of its vending machines. When Mr Sato spotted this pair on the street at America Mura, he was taken aback, as he’d never seen this amount of tags and stickers on a machine before.

Curious, he stepped over to see if he could even see what type of drinks were available.

Usually, these machines call to Mr Sato’s taste buds with the brightly coloured labels on the drinks display, but now Mr Sato found himself staring at the stickers instead. There had to be at least 100 on this one machine, and some even covered the display so much that it was impossible to see what type of drink lay behind it.

Our reporter decided to buy a bottle of water, but as he got his coins out, he began to wonder if a machine this vandalised actually worked at all. And then he wondered if he’d get his desired purchase, or if he might get one of those despicable lolly-tasting sodas instead.

▼ Hoping for the best, he fed the machine his coins…

▼ And lo and behold, it delivered!

Mr Sato was relieved to receive what he’d hoped he ordered from the machine, and gave it a gentle pat on its side to thank it for its speedy delivery.

As he walked away from the grungy-looking duo, he was happy to not only receive his bottle of water but an important life lesson too. It’s not what’s on the outside, but what’s on the inside that counts, and if these two are still working hard, despite the offences that have been thrown at them – as graffiti is an arrestable offence – then he could carry on overcoming his own challenges too.

Photos © SoraNews24
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