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Comment by skeltoac | Hacker News Reader

Are there still machines selling cans of beer? That was one of the highlights of my visit to Tokyo. My host advised me that I must either stand at the machine and drink it or put it away while I walked. No drinking and walking.

I was 14.

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Beer isn't in 'publicly' accessible vending machines any more as far as I can tell. It is however often available in the foyer of a place that normally sells beer (that might be currently shut.)

Ski resorts are my main source of vending-machine beer. Nothing better than cracking a can of Sapporo Classic in your first gondola ride of the day.

It depends where you are in Japan. I haven't seen them around Tokyo (not to say they don't exist though) but other cities have them.

only place i saw them in my entire trip to japan was in a hotel. And it was a little underwhelming because there was cheaper and a higher selection of alcohol at the Lawson 5 feet away from the hotel

Not in Tokyo anymore, but they do have them around Kansai still.

Wait, really? I thought there were copious alcohol in Tokyo vending machines, at least the last time I visited.

My hotel had beer in the vending machine on my floor. This was Tokyo last year. This was not a public vending machine though.

There are fewer in Tokyo than in the 1980s, but they still exist. They are in virtually wall hotels, but there's a beer and chuhai vending machine on the street near my kids' Tokyo preschool.

They still have them in the vending room in many business hotels in Tokyo. Better than a minibar!

I stand corrected. I guess it depends on the ward / district and I've been hanging out all the wrong places!

>My host advised me that I must either stand at the machine and drink it or put it away while I walked. No drinking and walking.

The animation on getting drinks out of vending machines in Shenmue (Dreamcast game) makes a lot more sense now.

I was in Kyoto in 2013 and there were plenty of beer vending machines.

yes there are still beer vending machines in Tokyo as well as other liqour but they now require a special liqour id card to prove your age.

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