How many vending machine does one country need?

[Mashiiro]

Japan has over 5 million vending machines all over the country. Their machine to people ratio is one is to twenty-three.Japanese vending machine doesn't only sell snacks and drinks but also random products such as Buddhist charms,women under garments, cigarettes and beers. How many odd vending machine have you seen so far and what's the weirdest product you saw? Also, since beers and cigarettes are readily available, does that mean that they don't have any age requirement to acquire it?

[FoodieSam]

My friend was here when I was reading this, and she says that she's seen a vending machine for newpapers, a huge one for perfume in a shopping mall that only took credit cards, and one in her town that sold eggs! I've heard of banana vending machines as well.
Vending machines sound really convenient in Japan, and if anything I'm jealous. My friend says that they're expensive, which makes sense, but imagine being able to pop down the road just to get a drink. They even have hot and cold drinks in the same vending machine! The ones around here are either for soda or unhealthy snacks, which I'm not interested in.
The thing I find fascinating is that you can find vending machines in the middle of nowhere. How are they powered? Who stocks them? My friend says (she keeps reading over my shoulder and interrupting ) that the ones in really remote places are great for the locals because they don't even have convenience stores. She also says that she thinks there's some kind of card you have to get to be able to buy alcohol or cigarettes, and it's not worth getting into trouble if you're caught trying to get them underage anyway.

[Tara4Eva]

Usually people from the neighborhood own one or two vending machines.

[Mashiiro]

FoodieSam About the cigarette/beers-that made sense. Its good to know that they still moderate those kind of things.

Eggs-How do you even do that inside a vending machine, won't it break or something?

[FoodieSam]

Well, Mashiiro, I asked my friend, and she said that it was a special kind of vending machine. There are, and I quote, "little doors on it that open out towards you like opening little cupboards". From the photo she showed me (which she won't let me share for some reason), I thought it looked a bit like mail slots. You put your money in as normal, and select the door you want, then open it to take the eggs out. She said it was cheaper and more convenient than the convenience store, and she could guarantee that they were local eggs. Delicious ones, apparently, too.

[Mashiiro]

FoodieSam Too bad you can't post the picture but I really want to see those and try the eggs offered there! Hopefully when I get to go there, I will try to post some including other weird vending machines and interesting ones!