Vending machine › Japan Today: Japan News and Discussion

Wednesday 29th October, 12:43 PM JST

A young girl demonstrates an emergency phone installed in a vending machine in Toyohashi, Aichi Prefecture. The vending machine, which also has a surveillance camera, was vandalized this week. Police said the words “surveillance society” was scrawled on the vending machine. According to police, the machine’s electric cable was cut and the camera lens painted black.

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Latest 15 of 40 Total Comments Show All

888naff at 08:05 PM JST - 29th October

is that machine really big or are they really small?

hello, is that the emergency phone service?.. yep. the machine is out of hot can coffee
tclh at 08:35 PM JST - 29th October

moshi moshi ,keisatsu desu ka,hen na jido hanbaiki took all my money and nothing came out!
CavemanLawyer at 08:41 PM JST - 29th October

Emergency phone? That is a good idea. Pay phones are quickly disappearing and cell phones can be lost, stolen or broken. Even if it is a ploy from the companies, it is still a good idea.

A camera in the machine? I have the urge to cut the machine's electric cable, paint the lens black, and scrawl the words "surveillance society" on the machine. But maybe that is just me? --Cirroc
buffalo at 09:03 PM JST - 29th October

Can I call my mum if I get lost?
Freakenese at 09:18 PM JST - 29th October

Alright one more.

Leave the siren, Leave the camera, but replace the phone with a boxing glove on a spring.

So if you select any of those unhealthy sugary sweet drinks instead of a nice healthy bottle of water. The siren goes off, the door opens up, and WHAM! right in the nutz. Then the camera takes your picture and they show it on one of these crazy Japanese television shows. You know like the show where people stick tissue paper up their nose to see who looks cool while sneezing.

Writing this and visualizing this scenario, I almost wet myself laughing.

I'm ready to live in Japan for another year now.
shuuu at 09:38 PM JST - 29th October

"Help! Help! A boy fed his fish too much!"

Moderator: Back on topic please.
PuffinMuffin at 10:16 PM JST - 29th October

? what a non-topic...
PuffinMuffin at 10:18 PM JST - 29th October

how about installing defibrillators
Apsara at 10:28 PM JST - 29th October

To reply to some of the above comments- I have never had a Japanese drink vending machine take my money and not give me a drink in return- have you?

They are very small- young woman is stretching it a bit as she looks about 9.

And to the person who says only buy water, not sugary carbonated drinks- may I buy green tea? How about canned coffee?
OhioDonna at 10:44 PM JST - 29th October

Good idea and the white phone would show dirt much better than the black phones. I rarely use a pay phone because of dirt and germs so I probably would not use one from a vending machine even a white one.
Sarge at 11:24 PM JST - 29th October

tclh - In all my years in Japan, I have yet to be robbed by a vending machine, as opposed to the bandits in the States! I have, however, been blessed by a certain drink machine that gave me three drinks for the price of one - several times!
tclh at 03:37 AM JST - 30th October

Sarge,I only intended to have a little bit of fun comment.Of course those vending machines in Japan are all very reliable not like some in Australia but I did not have experience of 3 for the price of 1;you are a lucky man if you are only buy water .
Good_Jorb at 04:07 AM JST - 30th October

I could just imagine if the phone dails 119 for you.

119 operate - Hello, how can a help? Person - Someone stole my money 119 operate - where are you calling from? Person - the coke machine 119 - which coke machine? Person - The one that is out of aquarius 119 - How much money did the steal? Person - 500yen 119 - What did the person look like? Person - To be honest I dropped it and it rolled under the machine.
JeffLee at 07:33 AM JST - 30th October

Why does a machine operated by a private corporation have a public surveillance camera?!? I would paint the lens black too. Then set up my own camera inside Coca-Cola's headquarters office.
cwhite at 10:53 PM JST - 4th November

I've had the vending machine eat my money and also the vending machine dudes to reimburse me at a fixed time the following day. Fortunately I was attending the trade show at Makuhari everyday.

I've also won a free drink twice in a row in the same vending machine.

The vending machine near my house speaks to you and tries to coerce you into buying an ice-cream.

Most new hi-tech vending machines already have a 24 hour PHS connection monitoring sales, temperature, theft and in an emergency like an earthquake will release all the drinks for free.

Personally I don't see why they need to install a actual hand held phone. You just need an obvious looking red emergency button that you have to punch and a microphone with built in camera. If it works for trains, elevators, intercoms (secom), ATM's, etc then people should be accustomed to it.