Lonely Vending Machines of Hokkaido

Japan has a love for vending machines that far eclipses other parts of the world. Indeed, you can find all manner of cold, hot, fresh prepared, and strange foods and drinks in vending machines in Japan.  When visiting, we were particularly intrigued by cans of hot creamed corn, which were seemingly in every machine we saw. Nervously, we tried it: tasty!  Well, the island of Hokkaido also has a huge number of vending machines, and they’ve taken on a whole new personality in this snowy land. This series by Eiji Ohashi shows lonely vending machines photographed at night, often covered with thick blankets of snow.

The lit-up machines take on a personality all their own, beacons in the night, as corny as that sounds. The framing of the photos give a great sense of space and emptiness. An intriguing series, via Colossal: