Japanese Vending Machines

Japanese Vending Machines 5

Time is too short to show every strange drink. One of the strangest was Bikkle, not pictured here because of the weird expression on my face from just having drunk sour yoghurty milky stuff. (It’s probably like those Yakult drinks that I’ve never tried.)

Lemon drinks were a continual disappointment. For an old Solo drinker like myself, I figured they’d be a safe bet, but in Japan I actually found myself preferring the grapefruit ones, which normally taste way too sour to me. It’s all relative, you see... Here we have C.C. Lemon, with “50 lemons’ worth of Vitamin C in every can”—further evidence of Japanese skill in miniaturization, and an indication of exactly how sour these lemon drinks are. (Hint: more than 49 lemons’ worth.)

Bubble Man was one that I actually relished, though. I’m a sucker for that fake grape soda flavour you only ever find in North America and Asia. My homeland wastes its grapes on foolish fripperies like cabernet sauvignon and pinot noir. Why bother planting all those vineyards and building a multi-million dollar wine industry when you can synthesize the stuff out of petrochemicals and mine tailings in a fizzy drink that bears no relation to actual fruit?

Notice Bubble Man’s futuristic outfit, as befits his Grape-Flavoured Super-Hero status. The other side of the can shows it in more detail, with arrows pointing to his “Bubble Suit”, “Bubble Met” (on his bubble ’ed), and “Bubble Flash” (the pointy bit on top of his Met). When your country is attacked by giant radioactive lizards, who better to save you than the tannin-rich offspring of the Michelin Man and Prince?

May 2006

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