History

The first vending machine in the world was not filled with food or beverages, but with holy water. [Cf, p4] It was thought to be located in a temple in Alexandria in 215 BC Egypt. In exchange for a coin, the machine would dispense some holy water. The oldest machines still in existence today were placed in hostels and pubs around 1615 in England to dispense cigarettes to customers. These machines were also used in the British-American colonies later that century. New vending machines which were filled with books and postage stamps, for example, arrived shortly thereafter, but were no commercial success. The first ones which could be used commercially were gum dispensers in the United States in 1888. They were installed in places where gum sales normally wouldn’t be possible, specifically the platforms of the NYC railway. Then, in 1926, the cigarette vending machine was introduced in the United States, followed by the first soft-drink machine in 1937.[Cf]

Starting in the 1960s, Japan began its journey into automatic beverage vending with juice vending machines. The Sanden company developed an original bubbler juice vending machine in October 1961.

Today the machines can be seen everywhere in the city. It is not uncommon to see rows of vending machines on the side of the street or at a resting area, often accompanied by benches.