The light of the urban roadside, the vending machine is deeply integrated with the urban culture

If you have the opportunity to count the vending machines on the streets of Japan, you will find that although they stand silently on the streets, the number is actually quite amazing. At present, there are more than 5.5 million vending machines in Japan, which is equivalent to one for every 23 people, which is the highest per capita ratio in the world. These highly automated machines are almost everywhere, and most of them are placed outdoors and cannot be ignored. Hot and cold drinks are the standard configuration of the products they sell, and some of them have names that are difficult to pronounce, such as the familiar Baomine Lishuite and Calpis. Japanese photographer Eiji Ohashi uses a vending machine as the main subject of the series 'Light on the Road'. Compared with the daytime, the vending machine seems to have found itself after nightfall. The colorful exterior design, product packaging and lighting make it easy to escape even in the city night scene. Photographer Eiji Ohashi was attracted by this commonplace and uniquely Japanese scene, capturing vending machines in the night in various parts of Japan. After years of accumulation, these photos were edited into a book and published under the title 'Roadside Lights'. For this photographer, these machines used to be like beacon towers: 'This project started 9 years ago. The first thing that caught my attention was a vending machine near my house. It looked very shiny. He said in an interview, “I was living in northern Japan at the time and was often hit by severe snowstorms in winter. I often drove in that weather, and the vending machine was my guide light.” In this place, I place great importance on order Vending machines are undoubtedly another place where 'certainty' is sold in a country with a sense of sensibility. Their working mechanism directly corresponds to a specific operation, and the specific behavior leads to a definite result, just like a ramen shop that provides unmanned services. It isolates the cumbersome procedures of interpersonal interaction and becomes part of the daily life in Japan. Such a culture may only be possible in countries with the lowest crime rates. In Japan, these vending machines standing alone are rarely stolen or vandalized. They are usually well maintained and rarely damaged, which further increases the satisfaction of use. 'Even if you put them in a random place, they will not be damaged or stolen.' Daqiao Yinger said, 'People will maintain them regularly, so they can operate as usual even if they are buried in the snow. Things have never been difficult for the Japanese.' Another reason why vending machines are everywhere is of course the Japanese people’s deep need for convenience. 'In Japan, no one should think that vending opportunities interfere with the city scenery. We have been trying to make life more convenient. Vending machines are a sign.' What's interesting is that even though the Japanese have designed more than 300 different places The taste of KitKat, but vending machines in different regions of Japan are similar. 'From the appearance to the products sold, the whole of Japan is similar.' The photographer said. And this consistency may more or less bring some sense of security. Ohashi said: 'I want to take pictures of these standardized vending machines, and different scenery in different regions will be shown in the background.' You will read the obvious sense of loneliness in his photos: a vending machine stands alone Standing in the twilight of a remote town. In these photos, the photographer's favorite one was taken in Hokkaido. In the background of Mount Yotei, a red vending machine stands alone under the light. In fact, the location of this vending machine was originally occupied by two machines, 'but because the product sales were too low, one of them was removed.' He said. This photo was taken in Kutchan, Hokkaido, and is photographer Eiji Ohashi's favorite photo in the series. 'In a sense, modern life is like a vending machine. We can withstand the blizzard just like them, but have not been rewarded.' The photographer said. The above information is provided by beverage vending machines. Please mark the reprint. Previous post: Unmanned vending machines lead the new retail era and convenience stores welcome transformation opportunities