kizunajp

After a long break, I'm working on writing about Japan things I find interesting: https://onefromnippon.com/

I'm hoping Japanese vending machines will be an interesting topic for the next post.

Author here. Thank you for the kind words! <Shameless plug> This post is part of a newsletter we write semi-regularly. If you found this interesting, do take a look at our other pieces and consider subscribing! </plug>

They do not use 第一 (dai ichi), they use ナンバーワン (namba- wan).

Source: https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20240109/k10014314211000.ht...

Also it seems like this is a temporary measure (seeing NHK says "対策では当面、事前に出発順は伝えずに離陸許可を出すとしています。" )?

Perhaps it will come back once the non-civilian traffic goes back to pre-earthquake levels?

Author of the newsletter here. Your comment just made my day :)

Hello! Author here. Pleasantly surprised to see this on the front page! I thought I'd address a couple of questions here:

- Why is it so expensive?

You can definitely buy cheaper randoserus made in China and these are giving lower-end Japanese manufacturers a run for their money. For example, https://www.amazon.co.jp/-/en/dp/B09H5RLGQF is around 45 dollars.

Even off-the-shelf Japanese randoserus are cheaper than the customized ones.

For an example of the well-thought out design of randoseru, this video does a good job: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/WtWiuWBU9r8

Some basic reasons for the high cost are: materials (leather, fake leather) are expensive, there are many parts, manual assembly, and the variations and customizations don't lend themselves to scale.

This article lists some reasons Japanese randoseru are so expensive: https://rand--torisetu-com.translate.goog/kakaku?_x_tr_sl=au... .

- What happens after 6 years?

Randoseru often last longer with good care, and are in fact passed down. Many organizations also collect and donate used randoseru to the less privileged. There are also businesses that will recycle the high quality materials into other accessories: See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHcgol5i7gs

Absolutely! It can be annoying till you build the habit of just putting your trash in your bag's side pockets.

https://guidable.co/living/why-japanese-take-their-trash-hom...

Hi! Author here. The first test machines for Takeru were released in 1995. And it doesn't sound like the FDS kiosks had an internet connection from what I can find.

Thank you for the link. It was a very interesting read!

The IC card system and how it became what it is today is a _fascinating_ topic, tied deeply with the superb automated gates at Japanese train stations in. I wonder if people would be interested in reading a longform-ish piece on these..

Author here. This was actually something that puzzled me too. There must have been many steps between "Want to carry my coffee with me" and "Let's stuff it in a can" that I wasn't clear about. So I did some more digging (but didn't put this in the post because I thought it'd make it very long).

I don't have the definitive answer, but a few things to consider:

- The bottles might have been resealable, but you would have to be worried about leaks for as long as you had the bottle with you. FWIW, the bottles from that time looked like this: https://www.townnews.co.jp/0607/images/a001046055_01.jpg

- Someone going on a long-distance train might not be able to bring the bottle back to the same station

- The store at a different station might not take the bottle from you since shops usually pay a bottle deposit to their suppliers and own the (fungible) bottle

- In many countries with bottled drinks the store charges you a bottle deposit that's much more expensive than the drink. Perhaps the frugal CEO did not want to pay that.

- Or even if he wanted to, did not have the time for that transaction given the train started pulling away

They solved the separation issue by homogenizing the milk: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homogenization_(chemistry)

Yes, nowadays all cans are aluminum though they used to be made of steel. The hot drinks are hot hot, not lukewarm hot.

Author here. Thank you for pointing this out! I have updated the post.

Boss was launched in 1992 (which was already a long time after canned coffee had taken off in the 70s) and only hired Tommy Lee Jones in 2006.

The Yaeyama Islands, some 400 kilometers southwest from Okinawa, feature pristine coral reefs and abundant marine life. A look at Uminchu Saburō, who makes his living in a tough marine environment with little more than swim fins and a fishing spear.

I haven't seen the manga version, but loved the movie adaptation with Abe Hiroshi in it.

@strobe999 linked to the Wiki article for the manga. The story follows Lucius, an architect in ancient Rome, who timeslips into modern day Japan. He carries ideas from modern Japan's bathing culture back and builds the public baths of Rome. It's a comedy, but a very informative one at that.

Hello HN! Author here. This was an absolutely _fascinating_ topic to research and write about. So many different perspectives and so much depth to each of them.

I am not sure I got all the parts about the geology right and would love any chance to learn from those who know better!

Hello HN! Author here. This was an absolutely _fascinating_ topic to research and write about. So many different perspectives and so much depth to each of them.

I am not sure I got all the parts about the geology right and would love any chance to learn from those who know better.

The majority of nonperishable items are restocked during the midnight shift. Fresh items do get delivered during the day.

Search for コンビニ配送トラック and you'll see branded trucks doing deliveries.

Ha this might just expose which part of Japan I'm from :)

If you read Japanese: https://ima.goo.ne.jp/column/article/2059.html

tl;dr: It's shortened differently in different parts of Japan. Sebun in Kanto, Sebu-ire in Kansai.

Hilariously, there is apparently a small number of people who call it "BunBun"

It is! Not exactly the same bento, but take this one from FamilyMart for example - https://www.family.co.jp/goods/obento/0616225.html

It is 498 yen (3.57 USD) and that is taxes included!

Hello HN!

On my previous post (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36110833#36123339) many people encouraged me to write about Japan's convenience stores.

I set out to write and it was so interesting I just _had_ to create a Part 2. I hope you have as much fun reading it as I had writing it!

Thank you!

I wonder why that is. In Japan it feels like they actually provide great value for what you're paying.

Japan's population is declining so at some point (very soon), Japanese companies in general will have to start paying more attention to their revenues outside Japan.

The history is very interesting here. As noted in the article, Ito Yokado's chairman set up a new company under Toshifumi Suzuki to create the Japanese 7-Eleven.

Southland Corporation, which owned 7-Eleven in America initially refused to even speak with them. Eventually it all worked out and 7-Eleven became a hit in Japan, while the fortunes of the company in America did not fare so well.

In 1991, when Southland faced bankruptcy, Ito Yokado invested $430mn to take over the company and renamed it to 7-Eleven Inc. How the tables turn..

There is a lot of detail on Wikipedia if you find this sort of thing interesting: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/7-Eleven#History

Edit: 430bn → 430mn

Never heard of it, but this one line on their site convinced me to visit one the next time I am in the United States: "Cleanest RestRooms in America!"

Thank you so much for this comment. It means a lot!

Were you able to read both parts?

Things are slowly changing now but pulling an all-nighter in the office is fairly common and used to be a mark (scar?) of achievement and loyalty to the company.

On my previous post (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36110833#36123339) many people encouraged me to write about Japan's convenience stores, so here it is!

Thank you HN! I had a LOT of fun writing this!

Stick this into Google maps: 〒701-4262 岡山県瀬戸内市長船町東須恵1373-5

Their access page has a map too: https://ohmachi-site.co.jp/access/

Is there anything I can read to understand this better?

Naively, I would think making a profit is not strictly necessary to serve society as long as the business makes as much money as it pays out?

Tastes are obviously subjective, but for what it's worth it's not like 7-11 does not sell a subset of the same dagashi mentioned in the article.

I did like the low-carb versions of things like chocolate cake they rolled out and in general they have a wonderful line of sweets: https://www-sej-co-jp.translate.goog/products/a/7premium/cat...

Lawson and FamilyMart have great sweets too.

Japanese convenience stores, to me, are fascinating. I could write a whole long form piece just on convenience stores if that sounds interesting to anyone.

This was exactly my thought process when I added quotes around dagashi in the title. Also why all mentions of dagashi are in italics in the article.