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Vending machines are an integral part of Japanese life. They are ubiquitous, attracting the attention of visitors on their first trip to Japan. They sell a wide variety of goods, from beverages and hot coffee to fresh fruit juices, and can be found everywhere, from sidewalks to subway stations, from bustling Tokyo to remote villages on Hokkaido Island. There are over 5.5 million vending machines in Japan, meaning one machine serves every 23 people – the highest ratio in the world.
Photographer Eiji Ohashi has spent years traveling across Japan and photographing vending machines. For Ohashi, these machines serve as lighthouses on land. He says, "I started this project nine years ago when I noticed a vending machine lit up near my house on my way home after a night shift. At the time, I was living in a town in northern Japan that was affected by terrible snowstorms in the winter. I drove my car and used the light from the vending machines to find my way home."
From then on, Ohashi saw in the vending machines the hidden beauty of a light source, guiding lonely travelers. The photo above was taken on Christmas Eve 2016. "That day, for the first time in 60 years, it snowed so heavily in Sapporo. All traffic came to a standstill," Ohashi recalled.
A vending machine in the town of Urakawa, located in southern Hokkaido. This town has a sparse population of only 18 people per square kilometer.2"Vending machines are in such remote places that one wonders if anyone actually buys anything from them," Ohashi writes in his photo book "Roadside Lights," the culmination of years of traveling across the country and photographing vending machines.
This photo was taken in Isahaya City, near Nagasaki, the southernmost tip of Japan. "This is a deserted stretch of road," Ohashi explained. "You can place these machines anywhere without worrying about them being stolen or vandalized. They even work perfectly in snowstorms."
"Businesses in Japan always maintain their products very meticulously; they always want to show customers the modernity in their business culture. Therefore, they can withstand harsh weather conditions without any problems," he added.
These vending machines stand in front of a 100-year-old eatery in the city of Sapporo on the island of Hokkaido.
According to photographer Ohashi, vending machines are so popular in Japan because the people of the Land of the Rising Sun love convenience. "I don't think anyone in Japan thinks that vending machines disrupt the landscape of a town. We're always finding ways to make life more convenient. And vending machines are a symbol of that philosophy of life."
"While everyone else was asleep, the vending machines were still running," Ohashi said, taking this photo in downtown Sapporo on a winter night. He observed that, interestingly, the vending machines in Japan all looked the same. This is unusual in a country that values regional uniqueness, where even confectionery is produced according to local flavors.
The image above shows a row of vending machines near Osaka Castle. The photographer says the uniformity of the millions of vending machines across Japan provides a comforting feeling for those who are constantly on the move. "I wanted to capture the similar shape of the machines and let viewers recognize the differences between regions through the surrounding scenery."
This is Ohashi's favorite photo. Behind the vending machine, in the distance, is Mount Yotei on Hokkaido Island. He confided, "The photo evokes a feeling of loneliness... There used to be two machines here, but due to low profits, one was removed. I think, in a way (when taking these photos), I'm comparing modern people to vending machines. We are like these machines, struggling to withstand the harsh realities of life, but not always succeeding."
Here are some more images from photographer Eiji Ohashi's collection of vending machines:
