Yesterday I flew from Shanghai to Tokyo. It's my second visit here so I'm pretty confident getting around by train - still amazed at the sheer number and complexity of train and subway lines. One of the features people notice about Tokyo is the number of vending machines. They are at the station, outside shops and just on the street. You can buy the usual things like water and soft drinks but also some extra things such as tinned meals (Ramen in a can), iced coffee, juices and toys. One thing I like is that I can use my train card at many of the vending machines. Cigarette vending machines are also more obvious here being out on the street in public. In Shanghai I saw a vending machine for medicines which was a first. For dinner tonight I had Ramen (noodle soup with pork and egg). On entering the restaurant I had to put my money in a vending machine and then select which items from the menu I wanted. I guess it's a good way of not having the staff handle (often dirty) money.
Yesterday I flew from Shanghai to Tokyo. It's my second visit here so I'm pretty confident getting around by train - still amazed at the sheer number and complexity of train and subway lines. One of the features people notice about Tokyo is the number of vending machines. They are at the station, outside shops and just on the street. You can buy the usual things like water and soft drinks but also some extra things such as tinned meals (Ramen in a can), iced coffee, juices and toys. One thing I like is that I can use my train card at many of the vending machines. Cigarette vending machines are also more obvious here being out on the street in public. In Shanghai I saw a vending machine for medicines which was a first. For dinner tonight I had Ramen (noodle soup with pork and egg). On entering the restaurant I had to put my money in a vending machine and then select which items from the menu I wanted. I guess it's a good way of not having the staff handle (often dirty) money.
Jasper has been in hospital for a couple of days with virus/ashma - he is home now so we pray he is OK.
ReplyDeleteI glad you are confident moving around Tokyo on train. I found India interesting, but I was never confident the train would head off in the correct direction. I find your comments on the various cultures interesting.
I think that the medicine vending machine would be a health hazard for hypochondriacs. And how does the vending machine check the age of shoppers buying smokes??
ReplyDeleteis there an age limit on smoking?
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on the weekend an aspendale gardens man was shot by police in essendon when he tried to hijack a largely empty bus.
he survived.
sounded like a mental illness or drugs case.
just thought you'd like to know what the neighbours are up to... or why your tennant is behind on the rent...
latest reports now say the guy shot in essendon was from avondale heights, not aspendale gardens... yep i always mix them up too.
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btw like the photos of the vending machines.
I remember loving the vending machines in Japan too! My friends an I all got addicted to Grape Fanta which we could only ever find in vending machines there. One of my teachers also loved 'Peach Water' and made us stop at every vending machine to get some. We are still unsure what peach water is...
ReplyDeleteOne thing I didn't find in vending machines was snack food - not a Mars Bar or Twisties to be seen. I read that eating while walking in public is still not a done thing (except for ice cream) so maybe that is the reason.
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