I love vending machines. This love of automated machines has been with me for a long time. I remember when I was very young I saw an old black & white newsreel of shops in New York City where all types of food were available. Instant gratification at its finest. Probably not my first kiss with vending machines, but it made quite an impact on me. From then on I wanted to savor every moment with vending machines. But my favorite types of machines are gumball machines. Not necessarily candy, but those containing toys or other trinkets. I hope to use this space as a place to share my love of vending and gumball machines, particularly from Japan. So for my first post I want to show some of my favorites from Harajuku in Tokyo. Enjoy!