The Observer's Guide to Japanese Vending Machines
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Limited edition of 1000 copies; signed and numbered.
“If you look closely at one thing,” writes Tanner Bowden, “you begin to see a lot of other things.” In Japan, there are over four million vending machines—on busy boulevards, tucked down alleys, beside shrines, on windswept beaches. They are trusted, ubiquitous, and quietly essential.
In this slim, contemplative volume, Bowden offers a brief history of the Japanese vending machine and a concise inventory of its offerings—from hot drinks and cold coffee to cakes in cans and cigarettes.
But the book’s true subject is what surrounds them: the quiet corners of Tokyo and beyond where machines stand like sentinels — unvandalized, softly lit, folded into alcoves at the base of towers. Through Bowden’s lens, they become more than convenience; they become a reflection of trust, order, and the overlooked poetry of everyday life.
See page 154 for Bowden’s signature and hand numbering.
Clothbound hardcover. Color photographs throughout.
