Try-your-luck vending machine proves it doesn’t always pay to take a gamble

Don’t be fooled by the shiny bright lights of this machine.

If you’ve been following our odyssey around Japan in search of the country’s weirdest vending machines, you may remember that time we stopped by a new branch of novelty chainstore Don Quijote at Tokyo Station.

There, we tried our luck at a gacha-style vending machine, which was filled with mystery whiskey prizes. In an attempt to snare the most expensive whiskey of them all, we ended up spending a whopping 38,500 yen (US$283.45) at the machine, only to walk away with mostly bottom-of-the-barrel varieties, so ever since then we’d sworn off trying our luck at Don Quijote’s vending machines.

▼ Don Quijote

That all changed the other day, though, when we visited a Don Quijote in Tokyo and saw this.

▼ “Try Your Luck Vending Machine”.

Unable to resist a challenge, especially one directed at us from a bright and enticing vending machine, we immediately felt ourselves rustling around in our pockets for coins. As we got closer, though, we saw that each try at this vending machine cost 1,000 yen ($7.42), and in return for the investment we would be in with a chance to walk away with an expensive prize like one of these electrical goods.

Once you pay and hit any of the buttons on the machine, a cylindrical container will pop out, containing either a consolation prize for losers or a card with the name of an expensive top-tier prize on it for winners to exchange at the store counter.

Our pulse racing with excitement, we slid a 1,000 yen note into the machine and allowed our finger to land on whatever button felt right.

After giving the button a gentle push, we heard a rattle and a clunk as a cylinder popped out into the tray below. Had we just won a camera? Or maybe an electronic massager? Either way, the vending machine gods had made their decision so there was no changing our luck now.

So we reached down…

…opened the hatch…

and pulled out…

▼ …this.

As you might’ve guessed, the vending machine gods did not smile down upon us that day. In fact, it felt as if they were punishing us for breaking our vow to never mess with a Don Quijote vending machine ever again.

Because what we received, in exchange for 1,000 yen, was a can of coffee, a tin badge and a keychain.

▼ A total loss, no matter which way you look at it.

These three items were probably worth around 300 yen, which meant Don Quijote was the big winner that day. Feeling defeated, we decided to look at the bright side, though — at least we stopped ourselves from shovelling more notes into the machine in the hopes of changing our luck. And our story might just help others from getting sucked in by the bright lights of the vending machine like we did.

So if you do come across a machine like this, you might want to to think twice before trying your luck — in our opinion, you’d be better off buying rice from the vending machine down the street instead.

Vending machine information
Don Quijote Kasai Store / ドン・キホーテ葛西店
Address: Tokyo-to, Edogawa-ku, Kitakasai 4-14-1 (vending machine is in the vicinity of the multi-storey parking lot)
東京都江戸川区北葛西4丁目14-1
Hours: 10:00 a.m.-4:00 a.m.

Photos © SoraNews24
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