According to the Japan Vending Machine Manufacturers Association, there are about 5.5 million vending machines, including those selling tickets, in the country. About 2.6 million of them sell soft drinks, making Japan the second largest vending machine country in the world after the United States. In terms of number, vending machines have already reached saturation point, but now vending machines are being designed to improve our living environment.

根據日本販賣機廠商公會說，該國約有五百五十萬台販賣機（包括售票機），其中，約有二百六十萬台販賣冷飲，使日本成為世界第二大販賣機國家（僅次於美國）。就數量而言，販賣機已達到飽和點。目前，販賣機被設計成改善生活環境的機型。

A "My Cup" vending machine let people use their own cups to buy juice and coffee in order to reduce the use of paper cups. Coca-Cola Japan Co. installed vending machines that can be remotely controlled to provide drinks free of charge in case of a disaster. The vending machines in city hall of Nagaoka, provided bottles of tea and water to residents after an earthquake struck the Chuetsu area there.

「我的杯子」販賣機，讓民眾使用自己的杯子買果汁和咖啡，以減少使用紙杯。可口可樂日本公司裝置的販賣機，一旦有災難發生，可以遙控免費供應飲料。在長岡市政廳的販賣機，在地震重創中越地區後，供應瓶裝茶水給當地居民。

Vending machines equipped with security cameras and emergency buzzers have recently been installed along school routes to protect children. Vending machines that sell alcohol are gradually being replaced by models capable of checking the age of a customer by scanning a form of ID, such as a driver's license, thereby preventing minors from buying spirits.

最近，學校沿途裝置配備監視用攝影機與緊急電鈴的販賣機，以保護孩童。賣酒的販賣機，逐漸被換成可以掃描身分證明（諸如駕照），以檢查顧客的年齡，防止未成年人購買烈酒。

Fuji Electric Retail System Co. has developed a makeup vending machine that can not only talk to a customer but also features a camera that can help women choose what type of makeup suits them best. The machine displays an image of the customer's face on a screen with a mocked-up image of what they would look like wearing a certain shade of lipstick. The Japan Vending Machine Manufacturers Association predicts that in the future, vending machines capable of offering advice based on users' preferences and health status will be invented.
富士電器零售系統公司開發一種化妝品販賣機，不但會和顧問說話，而且有特設的照相機，可幫助婦女選擇最適合的化妝樣式。機器的螢幕，呈現顧客使用某種色調的口紅唇膏時的模擬面相。日本販賣機廠商公會預言，未來將發明，可以根據使用者偏好和健康狀況提供意見的販賣機。

Tsutomu Washizu who authored a book titled "Jido Hanbaiki no Bunka（The Culture of Vending Machines）" said that it would become much more convenient for people to get what they liked at a time and a place they wanted. But it could lead to a culture of disposability, leading people to discard things when and wherever they want. Vending machines can make our life convenient, but they can also ruin our lifestyles.

《販賣機文化》一書的作者Tsutomu Washizu說，讓民眾在他們想要的地方，一次就買到他們喜歡的東西也許更加便利，但這會導致一種「可拋棄式文化」，造成民眾隨時隨地拋棄物品。販賣機便利了我們的生活，但也糟蹋了我們的生活方式。