Japan is well-known around the world for its enormous variety of vending machines, dispensing everything from eggs to flowers to batteries at the touch of a button. But did you know there’s a machine that dispenses gold Coke cans?
It’s all to do with a special prize system that most people don’t know about. Next time you want to pick up a beverage from an automated machine, you might want to look closely, because there’s a special chance to win every time you make a purchase. This gold can though, is extremely unusual and the winner happily shared the details of the prize online.
▼ Label says: “Peel back the tape and open the can. When opening the can, be careful not to hurt yourself. You’ve won a towel! This is not a drink for consumption”
▼ Opening the can was just a simple matter of pulling off the lid, as you would for a tin. And now for the exciting reveal…
▼Because this is Japan, not only is the prize booty carefully packed, the contents are dilligently listed for the customer.
▼ However, one of the prize set items caught the winner’s eye – the mention of an “omori”
▼ Looking at the set, the omori is clearly visible. It’s the white cylindrical object in the middle.
▼ The omori is a weight, which helps to drop the can down through the machine with the help of gravity. The winner, obviously in a giddy mood from the unexpected win, was amused that this was listed as one of the “prize items”.
So how did the lucky winner receive the gold can? Next time you’re at a drink machine, take a look at the digital display next to the coin slot. Immediately after you make a purchase, the display will roll through a series of random numbers and, much like a slot machine, you’ll win if the four numbers are exactly the same.
While the prize is usually a free drink, there are some extra special times when a “happy can” will drop out with an unusual prize inside. Inside, there’ll be a specially marked towel or maybe even a small toy car or a pair of headphones! What’s often most exciting is the can itself, which looks uncannily like the drink you chose, but with special illustrations and markings which make it extremely sought after.
Whether you’re a long-term resident or a short-term visitor to the country, it might be time to start purchasing all your drinks from local vending machines. Who knows what you might win?
Source/images: おいしいお