Jidohanbaiki Cheeky

Japan is bustling. Everyone is moving every which way. The fact that everyone is going to and from work is so apparent. Men in suits. Briefcases. Exhausted faces. Train cars that are dead silent as everyone unwinds. For some, that means being slumped over in an after-work cat nap on the commute home (how do people always wake up right before the train hits their stop??). 

Midst this chaos, Japan is genius with its coffee. Sometimes you just don't have the 10 minutes to stop in to a coffee shop and have your handmade latte thrown into your hand (and then your face). And conveniently situated shops don't possibly have the capacity to handle the volume that Tokyo's work life provides. 

Down the street from our house and very tempting.

My favorite drink is offered in the center one for ¥110.

What a steal!

Enter the best vending machines you will ever know. In Japan, they are jidohanbaiki. They are everywhere (highest per capita, in fact), promising that you can get the soda, water, juice, or coffee you're needing for ¥150 or less.

The convenience, variety and accessibility aren't even the best parts. Oh, how I wish the US would adopt vending machines like these! Most jidohanbaiki offer drinks hot. Yeah, you heard me right. Any drink with a red price label will come out in a warm aluminum can. Makes winters more bearable, that's for sure.

I've lived in Japan for two and a half years, and there are still varieties of vending machine coffees and teas that I haven't tried. When trying something new from a can you can't fully read, you'll find yourself reacting anywhere from wow, that's freaking delicious! to huh, not so bad to ugh, I think my body might reject this one. But once you find that favorite, it's glorious! Mine, like pretty much every other American here, is the hot Georgia's Original coffee. I can't possibly describe it in words that are worthy. But let's just say it's perfectly warm coffee that's dressed to impress (cream? Sugar? I really have no idea). I guess you'll just have to come over here and try it for yourself.