Why There Are So Many Vending Machines in Japan


In this episode of the new Vox series, “Borders,” while walking the streets of Tokyo, journalist Johnny Harris explains why Japan has the highest number of vending machines per capita in the world. In the video below, Johnny talks about the love of business cards in Japan.

“While in Japan I noticed vending machines everywhere. Looking into it a little deeper a discovered that there’s a very interesting answer to why Japan has so many vending machines. It’s an economic story but it’s also a story about how Japanese society values robotics and automation.”