vending the world

Here in Japan one of the most amazing sights when you first arrive is the incredible amount of vending machines EVERYWHERE. it is also one of the things you get used to most quickly. i was watching TV last night and was curious about one program`s claim to have found "The World`s Biggest Vending Machine." it was of course in Japan and, shockingly, it was not designed to sell beer or sake or even rice. it was designed to sell ICE! the thing was amazing! this monolith of modern technology was placed strategically next to a fishing port for the local fisherman to use. it was forty meters high and one commentator on the show said he thought it was a buidling, not a vending machine. but then the cameras got closer and there was a driveway leading under part of the buidling and a big plastic tube hanging from the ceiling. in the wall there was a panel of buttons and dials and the ubiquitous coin and bill slots. a fisherman pulled up in a small pickup truck with a big blue cooler on the back. openned the cooler and positioned the big plastic tube over it. he walked over to teh panel and inserted two 100yen coins, pressed the button for 10Kg of ice and jogged back over to the tube to hold it. there was a great rumbling noise and a crushing sound and then the ice came shooting out of the tube and filled the cooler in about three seconds!! 10Kg of ice in three seconds for a measly 200yen!! Incredible!! now if only it wasn`t in a tiny little fishing town on the north coast of Japan somwhere.... and if only i could find a picture of it on the net... meh.

p.s. it`s monday morning here but because of the time difference i`m watching the SuperBowl live on satellite TV. i just can`t really figure out why i`m watching....