One Coin Happiness!

Spotted in Kichijoji last week: a row of vending machines topped with a cheerful sign proclaiming, "1 Coin Happiness!" These days, finding anything you can buy with a single coin feels like a small victory, given how much prices have risen.

On closer inspection, however, the slogan was a little misleading. Most of the drinks in the machines cost at least two coins, with ¥110 appearing to be the most common price. It seems that, for years, the machines genuinely offered ¥100 drinks, but like so many other things, they eventually fell victim to inflation a few years ago.

Even so, the promise of "1 Coin Happiness" still caught my attention. While the prices may have changed, the sign remains a nostalgic reminder of a time when a single ¥100 coin really could buy a drink from a vending machine.