Spinning the globe for our next story, we're taking you to the island nation of Japan. With 126.7 million people living there, the country has less than 40 percent of the population size of the U.S., and yet Japan has 5 million vending machines, compared to America's 7 million. So, significantly more machines per person in Japan.
接下來請收聽下則新聞——探索世界,我們將帶大家前往島國日本。日本有1.267億人口,不到美國人口的40%,然而日本有500萬個自動售貨機,美國則有700萬個。因而,很顯然日本的人均自動售貨機個數(shù)多于美國。
We're touring the country now to show you the impacts this has on Japan's economy and its way of life.
我們將游歷日本,向大家展示這對日本經(jīng)濟及其生活方式的影響。
There's one on almost every corner. They line side streets, train stations. Vending machines are an essential part of life in Japan. You could almost go an entire day fueled on stuff from them.
幾乎每個角落都有一臺自動售貨機。它們廣泛分布于街道旁和火車站。在日本,自動售貨機是生活中必不可少的一部分。你幾乎可以一整天都從自動售貨機中購得所需的補給。
Let's begin with breakfast.
先從早餐說起。
They have premium banana. Low sugar banana.
自動售貨機出售優(yōu)質(zhì)香蕉。低糖香蕉。
Definitely need coffee.
而且一定有咖啡。
Red means hot. Blue means cold.
紅色表示“熱飲”。藍(lán)色表示“冷飲”。
One of my absolute favorite things about Japan. Hot coffee in a can.
我最喜歡日本的一點是,這里有罐裝熱咖啡。
A hot lunch too. Not your ordinary cup of noodle. This machine sells oden, a savory stew.
自動售貨機還提供熱氣騰騰的午餐。而且它售賣的不是普通的杯面,而是關(guān)東煮——一道美味的燉菜。
Fish balls, or beef tendon, fish balls.
有魚丸或者牛腱魚丸雙拼。
Hmm, I can see why this is popular in the winter times. The can is so warm and it tastes good.
我理解為什么它在冬天很流行了。罐頭不僅熱乎乎的,而且味道還不錯。
Vending machines work around the clock, so they don't require people at the cash register. And you can buy what you want, when you want. No matter what you drink, there's a good chance the vending machine was made here, near Nagoya.
自動售貨機全天候24小時提供服務(wù),而且不需要收銀人員。人們可以隨時買到自己想吃的食物。無論你想喝什么,在名古屋附近的自動售貨機都能讓你如愿以償。
Fuji Electric counts about 20 beverage companies as clients. The machines come in different sizes and colors. But they're all pretty much the same inside.
大約20家飲料企業(yè)都是富士電機的客戶。雖然自動售貨機的大小和顏色不同,但它們內(nèi)部幾乎是一樣的。
"That gives us efficiency," says factory manager Mitsuhiro Saka. "We used manufacture machines in large quantities. But it's become smaller."
“這確保了我們的效率。”工廠經(jīng)理Mitsuhiro Saka說道,“我們利用制造機器進(jìn)行大批量生產(chǎn)。不過現(xiàn)在也變得越來越小。”
There are 5 million vending machines in Japan, according to the latest figures from the manufacturers association. That's one machine for every 25 people, said to be the highest concentration in the world. But those figures have actually declined a bit over the last decade in part from rising competition. It's still a very big business.
據(jù)制造商協(xié)會的最新數(shù)據(jù)顯示,日本現(xiàn)有500萬臺自動售貨機。這意味著平均每25個人就有一臺自動售貨機——據(jù)說這在全球?qū)儆诿芏茸罡叩摹5谶^去10年里這些數(shù)字實際有所下降,部分原因是競爭加劇。不過這仍然是一個很龐大的行業(yè)。
Vending machines sold more than $42 billion worth of goods in 2015, keeping all that cash safe is a serious concern, even in a low crime nation like Japan. So, we can't show you the money collection components inside the door. But I did learn how they make my coffee hot.
2015年,自動售貨機銷售了價值超過420億美元的商品,這使得保證其現(xiàn)金的安全成了一個嚴(yán)重問題——即使在像日本這樣的低犯罪率國家也是如此。所以,我們不能為大家展示自動售貨機內(nèi)部存放現(xiàn)金的零件。不過我切實了解到了它們是使如何給咖啡加熱的。
"We develop a hybrid system," explains Saka. "That uses exhaust heat created by the cooling chamber to warm up your drink to 55 degrees Celsius, all the while saving energy."
Saka解釋道,“我們開發(fā)了一個混合動力系統(tǒng)。它利用冷卻室產(chǎn)生的廢氣將咖啡加熱到55攝氏度,同時還節(jié)省了能源。”
But now, 24-hour convenience stores the Japanese called konbinis compete with vending machines for customers and beverage makers face a struggle securing new locations.
不過,現(xiàn)在日本的24小時便利店正在同自動售貨機爭搶顧客,飲料制造商也面臨著爭奪新戰(zhàn)場的斗爭。
For operators like Ichiro Yonoi (ph), the challenge is still to refill machines with the bestselling products. He tells us he's been doing this for 12 years. He handles about 3,500 cans a day.
對Ichiro Yonoi這樣的運營者來說,他們面臨的挑戰(zhàn)仍然是為自動售貨機補充暢銷商品。他告訴我們,這份工作他已經(jīng)做了12年,每天都要處理約3500個罐裝商品。
Technology could make his job easier. Smart vending machines connected to the Internet are able to collect sales data, even notify the repairman when they break down, another evolution for an every day object that's evolving, along with modern life in Japan.
科技能夠使他的工作變得更輕松。聯(lián)網(wǎng)的智能自動售貨機能夠收集銷售數(shù)據(jù),甚至在自動售貨機出現(xiàn)故障時通知修理工。這是與日本現(xiàn)代化生活方式相結(jié)合的一個日常必需品的另一種進(jìn)化。
Spinning the globe for our next story, we're taking you to the island nation of Japan. With 126.7 million people living there, the country has less than 40percent of the population size of the U.S., and yet Japan has 5 million vending machines, compared to America's 7 million. So, significantly more machines per person in Japan.
We're touring the country now to show you the impacts this has on Japan's economy and its way of life.
There's one on almost every corner. They line side streets, train stations. Vending machines are an essential part of life in Japan. You could almost go an entire day fueled on stuff from them.
Let's begin with breakfast.
They have premium banana. Low sugar banana.
Definitely need coffee.
Red means hot. Blue means cold.
One of my absolute favorite things about Japan. Hot coffee in a can.
A hot lunch too. Not your ordinary cup of noodle. This machine sells oden, a savory stew.
Fish balls, or beef tendon, fish balls.
Hmm, I can see why this is popular in the winter times. The can is so warm and it tastes good.
Vending machines work around the clock, so they don't require people at the cash register. And you can buy what you want, when you want. No matter what you drink, there's a good chance the vending machine was made here, near Nagoya.
Fuji Electric counts about 20 beverage companies as clients. The machines come in different sizes and colors. But they're all pretty much the same inside.
"That gives us efficiency," says factory manager Mitsuhiro Saka. "We used manufacture machines in large quantities. But it's become smaller."
There are 5 million vending machines in Japan, according to the latest figures from the manufacturers association. That's one machine for every 25 people, said to be the highest concentration in the world. But those figures have actually declined a bit over the last decade in part from rising competition. It's still a very big business.
Vending machines sold more than $42 billion worth of goods in 2015, keeping all that cash safe is a serious concern, even in a low crime nation like Japan. So, we can't show you the money collection components inside the door. But I did learn how they make my coffee hot.
"We develop a hybrid system," explains Saka. "That uses exhaust heat created by the cooling chamber to warm up your drink to 55 degrees Celsius, all the while saving energy."
But now, 24-hour convenience stores the Japanese called konbinis compete with vending machines for customers and beverage makers face a struggle securing new locations.
For operators like Ichiro Yonoi (ph), the challenge is still to refill machines with the bestselling products. He tells us he's been doing this for 12 years. He handles about 3,500 cans a day.
Technology could make his job easier. Smart vending machines connected to the Internet are able to collect sales data, even notify the repairman when they break down, another evolution for an every day object that's evolving, along with modern life in Japan.