5 ms·

I still remember decades and decades ago hearing about vending machines in Japan. Someone mentioned going to Japan and how you could get cold cans of coffee out

I still remember decades and decades ago hearing about vending machines in Japan. Someone mentioned going to Japan and how you could get cold cans of coffee out of vending machines there. This was sometime in the 1990s, before even Starbucks was a huge thing. Everyone I knew thought the idea of cold coffee was ridiculous, a quirk of the Japanese that would never catch on. I feel the Japanese have been pretty good at exporting culture, but it has a lot of misses among the few hits. I wonder if this is something that would catch on outside of Japan.

pelagic_sky 2y ago
And vending machines with hot drinks and soups, my favorite being cream of corn soup...which I have yet to see stateside. Another thing Japan had before the US was texting on your phone. I was living in Japan at the time and recall telling my American friend who worked as a Manager at ATT about texting and she thought it was the dumbest thing she had ever heard of.
- bombcar 2y ago
  I've seen vending machines in the USA dispense hot soup, it was at a rest stop somewhere in the middle of nowhere. No idea if they had cream of corn.
- thfuran 2y ago
  Emoji also caught on, I'm told.
- flanbiscuit 2y ago
  I was living in Australia in 2000 and texting was more common than calling because it was cheaper to text than call. But in the US it was the opposite. You had unlimited calling, but plans around that time had a different pricing scheme for texting (can't remember the exact details) so could be one reason why it took the US a bit longer to finally pick up texting. I remember it was about a year or 2 later that I felt texting started to become more common in the US.
  - sien 2y ago
    Yeah, I lived in Europe in 1999 and 2000 and then moved to the US. In the EU you could text people from different countries and it would often work. Then I moved to the US and the shock of not being able to text between networks was really something. That and writing cheques. I'd never written a cheque in Australia or Europe but you sort of had to in the US while electronic payments between banks were sorted in Australia in the 1990s. These days it seems when a technology appears it generally spreads more quickly.
    - Tijdreiziger 2y ago
      > In the EU you could text people from different countries and it would often work. Wasn’t foreign texting expensive at the time?
  - kortilla 2y ago
    Texting in network was a fixed rate per text (later unlimited) and then texting out of network was crazy like 10 cents a message. You thought blue bubble was bad, it literally cost you money to talk to people who chose another carrier. The texting culture had funny side effects then because of it. You would get roasted for multiple messages when one would suffice. :)
    - lovehashbrowns 2y ago
      My first cell phone bill was like $600 because my gf at the time used a different carrier. This was also back in the olden days of unlimited texting!! (Only after 9pm)
  - Loudergood 2y ago
    Interesting I thought the main reason whatsapp took off outside the US was the texting costs.
  - firefax 2y ago
    Facebook was big partly early on at places like CMU because unis were early adopters of ubiquitous wifi -- so FB messenger served as a free texting tool back when you'd have people tell you to put their last name as NOTEXT.
- BugsJustFindMe 2y ago
  Kinkos in the 90s (back when it was a by-the-hour computer lab) had vending machines with hot chicken soup.
  - Suppafly 2y ago
    was it just broth? the vending machine at my college, had that where it'd have coffee, cocoa, or chicken broth.
  - Cthulhu_ 2y ago
    We had hot chicken soup from a dispenser at school (~2000) too, but it was gash made from powder.
- MisterTea 2y ago
  > And vending machines with hot drinks and soups, my favorite being cream of corn soup...which I have yet to see stateside. Its a cultural thing I am sure. As an American I will say that prepared food served from a vending machine is going to be associated with low quality and possible poor hygiene. I'd equate it with food from a gas station store or roach coach (mobile canteen)- food prepared with little care or quality, destined to be sold for as little as possible while still being profitable. Stale bread, wilted vegetables, low quality meats, cheese, etc, sloppy prep. Who cares, ship it. On the other hand, I can see food vendors in Japan guarding their reputation with attention to their craft ensuring quality.
  - murderfs 2y ago
    > As an American I will say that prepared food served from a vending machine is going to be associated with low quality and possible poor hygiene. The grandparent post is talking about canned food/drink that's heated in the machine. Vending machines with freshish prepared food do exist, but they're kinda pointless given the existence of... > I'd equate it with food from a gas station store or roach coach (mobile canteen)- food prepared with little care or quality, destined to be sold for as little as possible while still being profitable Convenience store food in Japan is fantastic: food from 7/11, Lawson, Family Mart, etc. is probably unironically better than the median restaurant in the U.S.
    - MisterTea 2y ago
      > Convenience store food in Japan is fantastic Indeed. Spent a few weeks there last year. You can't throw a rock and not hit one of those places - it's absurd how many there are no matter where you are. Though, TBF in NYC the density of convenience stores/bodegas is similar but the consistency lacking. I do miss those gooey chocolate babka things they sell in the 7-11s. > is probably unironically better than the median restaurant in the U.S. Eh... I would say they certainly beat out fast food.
  - presentation 2y ago
    The foods sold in vending machines make sense though - everyone's already used to instant or canned soup, so throwing it into a vending machine and warming it up makes sense. You're not getting fine dining from the vending machines, you're just getting a quick and tasty snack (although there is also a culture of niche vending machines with serious meals that require cooking at home, which is another story). Just swap out the corn potage with something Americans would already be familiar with, like Campbell's chicken noodle soup in a single-portion can with a twist cap instead of needing a can opener, and it could work. I think some Americans might object more to the idea of microplastics leaching into your food, or high amounts of preservatives, though. And the ubiquity of vending machines in Japan makes it possible to build a habit around vending machine food, whereas in the US they're fewer and far between, so you couldn't really depend on them.
- goosedragons 2y ago
  Emoji is a Japanese thing too. It's why a lot of the early emoji are kind of odd from a western point of view, like the naruto fish cake, Japanese top secret emoji and hot bath symbol.
  - kmeisthax 2y ago
    There's also the Moyai statue in Shibuya that gave us an emoji: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moyai_statue#Shibuya_Station_moyai https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moyai_statue#Shibuya_Station_m...
  - sunaookami 2y ago
    Well, it's called "Emoji" (絵文字, literally "picture character/letter") for a reason ;) Weird how it's often misunderstood as being derived from "emotion" in western media.
    - thesuitonym 2y ago
      It's not that weird. In English we had a similar idea called emoticons, which started as ascii/your local encoding and then evolved to be pictures. When emoji hit the masses, it was only natural to assume the two were related.
- soupfordummies 2y ago
  Yeah! The hot corn liquid from a vending machine was maybe the weirdest thing I had when I visited.
- decimalenough 2y ago
  First trip to Japan, I selected what I thought was a local cherry Coke equivalent from the vending machine. I was more than a little surprised to get a can that was a) hot, and b) contained not cherry-flavored cola, but chunky sweet red bean soup (oshikuro).
  - gregjw 2y ago
    oh noooo
- extraduder_ire 2y ago
  The really novel thing about those vending machines is that they do both hot and cold drinks. A vending machine technician realised that the hot side of the refrigeration unit could be used for something practical rather than just disposing of the heat through a radiator.
throw0101d 2y ago
> Someone mentioned going to Japan and how you could get cold cans of coffee out of vending machines there. The actor Tommy Lee Jones has some amusing commercials for canned coffee: * https://www.brandinginasia.com/the-tuesday-take-suntory-boss-and-tommy-lee-jones/ https://www.brandinginasia.com/the-tuesday-take-suntory-boss... * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boss_Coffee https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boss_Coffee The premise is that he is an alien in disguise evaluating human society, so some of the situations shown are quite whimsical.
- neilv 2y ago
  > There's an old tradition of American stars appearing in Japanese television commercials, [...] before downing what appears to be about a four ounce can of Suntory Iced Rainbow Blend coffee. Was this tradition referenced or inspired by Bill Murray's "Suntory Time" scene in "Lost in Translation" (2003)? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FiQnH450hPM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FiQnH450hPM
  - throw0101d 2y ago
    Westerners in Japan has been a thing for decades: > Anyone who has seen Sofia Coppola’s Lost in Translation must wonder for at least a second if there is truth in Bill Murray’s character of a famous American actor in Japan to film a commercial. Well, there definitely is. Huge American and European stars have been hawking products in Japanese commercials for decades. * https://www.cinemablend.com/movies/western-entertainers-who-have-made-japanese-commercials https://www.cinemablend.com/movies/western-entertainers-who-... * https://www.goretro.com/2015/08/sake-to-me-western-celebs-in-bizarre.html https://www.goretro.com/2015/08/sake-to-me-western-celebs-in... * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_in_Japan_(phrase) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_in_Japan_(phrase)
  - SECProto 2y ago
    > Was this tradition referenced or inspired by [] referenced. Here's a couple suntory commercials dating much older: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyN-aHtAVzs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyN-aHtAVzs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=goUBezKpNmU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=goUBezKpNmU
echelon 2y ago
> Someone mentioned going to Japan and how you could get cold cans of coffee out of vending machines there. They're everywhere! In rural Hokkaido, some people even have them outside their home's driveway for people walking by. They have various teas (green, hojicha, jasmine, etc.), Coke and Pepsi products, Pocari Sweat (like Gatorade), iced coffees, and sometimes even hot teas and hot coffees that are heated on demand. They're super convenient and something I miss having in America (we seemed to have more of them here in the 90's and early 2000's). The only problem is that in Japan there can sometimes be absolutely zero public garbage (or, more correctly, recycling) bins in sight. You have to carry your trash with you, which is a bit annoying and mildly gross if it spills.
- nicbou 2y ago
  There was a story of someone finding one in the middle of a hike, and following a long cable to an actual settlement.
  - pjc50 2y ago
    Profound metaphor for the "uplink" to civilization which we all ultimately depend on.
- Aeolun 2y ago
  > You have to carry your trash with you, which is a bit annoying and mildly gross if it spills. True, but it also means that most people are used to this and don’t even question it. Which means no overflowing garbage bins or the need to service them in the middle of nowhere.
- Suppafly 2y ago
  Pocari Sweat is so good. I always grab a bottle anytime we go to the japanese store outside chicago. I assumed it was a fake anime product like the way they always turn pepsi into bepsi or something, but no it's real and it's delicious.
  - gregjw 2y ago
bsder 2y ago
Japanese vending machines are an act of engineering beauty: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3AJnGjMAObA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3AJnGjMAObA
- imjustaghost 2y ago
  These is easily one of the most heartwarming videos on YouTube.
ericzawo 2y ago
I dream about being able to get a cold can of Boss Coffee every day outside my house.
prawn 2y ago
Iced Coffee has been very popular in Australia (and especially South Australia) since the 70s: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farmers_Union_Iced_Coffee https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farmers_Union_Iced_Coffee (I'm assuming this is an equivalent product; I don't drink coffee personally.)
- jen729w 2y ago
  Better than that is the Japanese 'Boss', which even comes in a very-Japanese steel tin. Great coffee that you can now get at most Australian servos, convenience stores, etc. https://suntorybosscoffee.com https://suntorybosscoffee.com It's made in the Japanese iced style, which is easy to mimic at home and really does make a nice iced coffee. 1. Get your standard filter/drip machine. Nothing fancy. 2. Double the amount of coffee you normally use. You want it coming out strong. 3. Fill the receiving jug with ice. 4. Drip directly on to ice.
- p1necone 2y ago
  As a New Zealander who's been to Australia + a small handful of other countries I can vouch for Australia having a uniquely good convenience store dairy based drink industry. OAK is another old faithful brand I miss in NZ. Also Hungry Jacks (Burger King) there uses cream instead of milk in the soft serve and it's noticeably better.
  - gizajob 2y ago
    The $1 coffee from 7-11 was my go-to drink in Australia. Came with the added bonus of annoying the hipster coffee snobs in melbourne when I was walking down the street holding a 7-11 cup. Damn fine coffee.
    - 1659447091 2y ago
      7-11 has surprisingly good coffee in the US too, or at least Texas. There was a 7-11 on the corner of the block I use to live on and drive past to get to Starbucks until I was running late once and decided to just grab the first coffee available. Now if I just want plain brewed coffee I'll find a 7-11. And if I'm wanting something more Starbuck-ish but don't want to deal with the morning rush, I'll go to a 7-11 and mix little over half a cup of the brew coffee then top it off with their hot chocolate.
averageRoyalty 2y ago
> Everyone I knew thought the idea of cold coffee was ridiculous, a quirk of the Japanese that would never catch on. Iced coffee has been around for centuries and is very common in warmer countries (and was before the 90s). アイスコーヒー is closer to cold brew than the milkshake-esque thing we call iced coffee.
froh 2y ago
it may well be "cold brew", a coffee specialty that is some work to make at home and that has a very distinguished taste and contrast coffee that was brewed hot and then cooled down.
Cthulhu_ 2y ago
> I wonder if this is something that would catch on outside of Japan. Cynically, only if someone sees a business / money making opportunity.
alephnan 2y ago
Vietnamese people have been drinking iced coffee for half a century. The more ridiculous proposition here is that people, other than Americans, only drink hot coffee.
xhevahir 2y ago
My first thought when I read this was, "This is very Japanese, and nothing like it would ever happen in America." Americans and Japanese are poles apart in the ways they relate to their communities, older generations, etc.

pelagic_sky 2y ago

And vending machines with hot drinks and soups, my favorite being cream of corn soup...which I have yet to see stateside. Another thing Japan had before the US was texting on your phone. I was living in Japan at the time and recall telling my American friend who worked as a Manager at ATT about texting and she thought it was the dumbest thing she had ever heard of.

bombcar 2y ago
I've seen vending machines in the USA dispense hot soup, it was at a rest stop somewhere in the middle of nowhere. No idea if they had cream of corn.
thfuran 2y ago
Emoji also caught on, I'm told.
flanbiscuit 2y ago
I was living in Australia in 2000 and texting was more common than calling because it was cheaper to text than call. But in the US it was the opposite. You had unlimited calling, but plans around that time had a different pricing scheme for texting (can't remember the exact details) so could be one reason why it took the US a bit longer to finally pick up texting. I remember it was about a year or 2 later that I felt texting started to become more common in the US.
- sien 2y ago
  Yeah, I lived in Europe in 1999 and 2000 and then moved to the US. In the EU you could text people from different countries and it would often work. Then I moved to the US and the shock of not being able to text between networks was really something. That and writing cheques. I'd never written a cheque in Australia or Europe but you sort of had to in the US while electronic payments between banks were sorted in Australia in the 1990s. These days it seems when a technology appears it generally spreads more quickly.
  - Tijdreiziger 2y ago
    > In the EU you could text people from different countries and it would often work. Wasn’t foreign texting expensive at the time?
- kortilla 2y ago
  Texting in network was a fixed rate per text (later unlimited) and then texting out of network was crazy like 10 cents a message. You thought blue bubble was bad, it literally cost you money to talk to people who chose another carrier. The texting culture had funny side effects then because of it. You would get roasted for multiple messages when one would suffice. :)
  - lovehashbrowns 2y ago
    My first cell phone bill was like $600 because my gf at the time used a different carrier. This was also back in the olden days of unlimited texting!! (Only after 9pm)
- Loudergood 2y ago
  Interesting I thought the main reason whatsapp took off outside the US was the texting costs.
- firefax 2y ago
  Facebook was big partly early on at places like CMU because unis were early adopters of ubiquitous wifi -- so FB messenger served as a free texting tool back when you'd have people tell you to put their last name as NOTEXT.
BugsJustFindMe 2y ago
Kinkos in the 90s (back when it was a by-the-hour computer lab) had vending machines with hot chicken soup.
- Suppafly 2y ago
  was it just broth? the vending machine at my college, had that where it'd have coffee, cocoa, or chicken broth.
- Cthulhu_ 2y ago
  We had hot chicken soup from a dispenser at school (~2000) too, but it was gash made from powder.
MisterTea 2y ago
> And vending machines with hot drinks and soups, my favorite being cream of corn soup...which I have yet to see stateside. Its a cultural thing I am sure. As an American I will say that prepared food served from a vending machine is going to be associated with low quality and possible poor hygiene. I'd equate it with food from a gas station store or roach coach (mobile canteen)- food prepared with little care or quality, destined to be sold for as little as possible while still being profitable. Stale bread, wilted vegetables, low quality meats, cheese, etc, sloppy prep. Who cares, ship it. On the other hand, I can see food vendors in Japan guarding their reputation with attention to their craft ensuring quality.
- murderfs 2y ago
  > As an American I will say that prepared food served from a vending machine is going to be associated with low quality and possible poor hygiene. The grandparent post is talking about canned food/drink that's heated in the machine. Vending machines with freshish prepared food do exist, but they're kinda pointless given the existence of... > I'd equate it with food from a gas station store or roach coach (mobile canteen)- food prepared with little care or quality, destined to be sold for as little as possible while still being profitable Convenience store food in Japan is fantastic: food from 7/11, Lawson, Family Mart, etc. is probably unironically better than the median restaurant in the U.S.
  - MisterTea 2y ago
    > Convenience store food in Japan is fantastic Indeed. Spent a few weeks there last year. You can't throw a rock and not hit one of those places - it's absurd how many there are no matter where you are. Though, TBF in NYC the density of convenience stores/bodegas is similar but the consistency lacking. I do miss those gooey chocolate babka things they sell in the 7-11s. > is probably unironically better than the median restaurant in the U.S. Eh... I would say they certainly beat out fast food.
- presentation 2y ago
  The foods sold in vending machines make sense though - everyone's already used to instant or canned soup, so throwing it into a vending machine and warming it up makes sense. You're not getting fine dining from the vending machines, you're just getting a quick and tasty snack (although there is also a culture of niche vending machines with serious meals that require cooking at home, which is another story). Just swap out the corn potage with something Americans would already be familiar with, like Campbell's chicken noodle soup in a single-portion can with a twist cap instead of needing a can opener, and it could work. I think some Americans might object more to the idea of microplastics leaching into your food, or high amounts of preservatives, though. And the ubiquity of vending machines in Japan makes it possible to build a habit around vending machine food, whereas in the US they're fewer and far between, so you couldn't really depend on them.
goosedragons 2y ago
Emoji is a Japanese thing too. It's why a lot of the early emoji are kind of odd from a western point of view, like the naruto fish cake, Japanese top secret emoji and hot bath symbol.
- kmeisthax 2y ago
  There's also the Moyai statue in Shibuya that gave us an emoji: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moyai_statue#Shibuya_Station_moyai https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moyai_statue#Shibuya_Station_m...
- sunaookami 2y ago
  Well, it's called "Emoji" (絵文字, literally "picture character/letter") for a reason ;) Weird how it's often misunderstood as being derived from "emotion" in western media.
  - thesuitonym 2y ago
    It's not that weird. In English we had a similar idea called emoticons, which started as ascii/your local encoding and then evolved to be pictures. When emoji hit the masses, it was only natural to assume the two were related.
soupfordummies 2y ago
Yeah! The hot corn liquid from a vending machine was maybe the weirdest thing I had when I visited.
decimalenough 2y ago
First trip to Japan, I selected what I thought was a local cherry Coke equivalent from the vending machine. I was more than a little surprised to get a can that was a) hot, and b) contained not cherry-flavored cola, but chunky sweet red bean soup (oshikuro).
- gregjw 2y ago
  oh noooo
extraduder_ire 2y ago
The really novel thing about those vending machines is that they do both hot and cold drinks. A vending machine technician realised that the hot side of the refrigeration unit could be used for something practical rather than just disposing of the heat through a radiator.

throw0101d 2y ago

> Someone mentioned going to Japan and how you could get cold cans of coffee out of vending machines there. The actor Tommy Lee Jones has some amusing commercials for canned coffee: * https://www.brandinginasia.com/the-tuesday-take-suntory-boss-and-tommy-lee-jones/ https://www.brandinginasia.com/the-tuesday-take-suntory-boss... * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boss_Coffee https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boss_Coffee The premise is that he is an alien in disguise evaluating human society, so some of the situations shown are quite whimsical.

neilv 2y ago
> There's an old tradition of American stars appearing in Japanese television commercials, [...] before downing what appears to be about a four ounce can of Suntory Iced Rainbow Blend coffee. Was this tradition referenced or inspired by Bill Murray's "Suntory Time" scene in "Lost in Translation" (2003)? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FiQnH450hPM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FiQnH450hPM
- throw0101d 2y ago
  Westerners in Japan has been a thing for decades: > Anyone who has seen Sofia Coppola’s Lost in Translation must wonder for at least a second if there is truth in Bill Murray’s character of a famous American actor in Japan to film a commercial. Well, there definitely is. Huge American and European stars have been hawking products in Japanese commercials for decades. * https://www.cinemablend.com/movies/western-entertainers-who-have-made-japanese-commercials https://www.cinemablend.com/movies/western-entertainers-who-... * https://www.goretro.com/2015/08/sake-to-me-western-celebs-in-bizarre.html https://www.goretro.com/2015/08/sake-to-me-western-celebs-in... * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_in_Japan_(phrase) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_in_Japan_(phrase)
- SECProto 2y ago
  > Was this tradition referenced or inspired by [] referenced. Here's a couple suntory commercials dating much older: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyN-aHtAVzs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyN-aHtAVzs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=goUBezKpNmU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=goUBezKpNmU

echelon 2y ago

> Someone mentioned going to Japan and how you could get cold cans of coffee out of vending machines there. They're everywhere! In rural Hokkaido, some people even have them outside their home's driveway for people walking by. They have various teas (green, hojicha, jasmine, etc.), Coke and Pepsi products, Pocari Sweat (like Gatorade), iced coffees, and sometimes even hot teas and hot coffees that are heated on demand. They're super convenient and something I miss having in America (we seemed to have more of them here in the 90's and early 2000's). The only problem is that in Japan there can sometimes be absolutely zero public garbage (or, more correctly, recycling) bins in sight. You have to carry your trash with you, which is a bit annoying and mildly gross if it spills.

nicbou 2y ago
There was a story of someone finding one in the middle of a hike, and following a long cable to an actual settlement.
- pjc50 2y ago
  Profound metaphor for the "uplink" to civilization which we all ultimately depend on.
Aeolun 2y ago
> You have to carry your trash with you, which is a bit annoying and mildly gross if it spills. True, but it also means that most people are used to this and don’t even question it. Which means no overflowing garbage bins or the need to service them in the middle of nowhere.
Suppafly 2y ago
Pocari Sweat is so good. I always grab a bottle anytime we go to the japanese store outside chicago. I assumed it was a fake anime product like the way they always turn pepsi into bepsi or something, but no it's real and it's delicious.
- gregjw 2y ago

bsder 2y ago

Japanese vending machines are an act of engineering beauty: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3AJnGjMAObA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3AJnGjMAObA

imjustaghost 2y ago
These is easily one of the most heartwarming videos on YouTube.

ericzawo 2y ago

I dream about being able to get a cold can of Boss Coffee every day outside my house.

prawn 2y ago

Iced Coffee has been very popular in Australia (and especially South Australia) since the 70s: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farmers_Union_Iced_Coffee https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farmers_Union_Iced_Coffee (I'm assuming this is an equivalent product; I don't drink coffee personally.)

jen729w 2y ago
Better than that is the Japanese 'Boss', which even comes in a very-Japanese steel tin. Great coffee that you can now get at most Australian servos, convenience stores, etc. https://suntorybosscoffee.com https://suntorybosscoffee.com It's made in the Japanese iced style, which is easy to mimic at home and really does make a nice iced coffee. 1. Get your standard filter/drip machine. Nothing fancy. 2. Double the amount of coffee you normally use. You want it coming out strong. 3. Fill the receiving jug with ice. 4. Drip directly on to ice.
p1necone 2y ago
As a New Zealander who's been to Australia + a small handful of other countries I can vouch for Australia having a uniquely good convenience store dairy based drink industry. OAK is another old faithful brand I miss in NZ. Also Hungry Jacks (Burger King) there uses cream instead of milk in the soft serve and it's noticeably better.
- gizajob 2y ago
  The $1 coffee from 7-11 was my go-to drink in Australia. Came with the added bonus of annoying the hipster coffee snobs in melbourne when I was walking down the street holding a 7-11 cup. Damn fine coffee.
  - 1659447091 2y ago
    7-11 has surprisingly good coffee in the US too, or at least Texas. There was a 7-11 on the corner of the block I use to live on and drive past to get to Starbucks until I was running late once and decided to just grab the first coffee available. Now if I just want plain brewed coffee I'll find a 7-11. And if I'm wanting something more Starbuck-ish but don't want to deal with the morning rush, I'll go to a 7-11 and mix little over half a cup of the brew coffee then top it off with their hot chocolate.

averageRoyalty 2y ago

> Everyone I knew thought the idea of cold coffee was ridiculous, a quirk of the Japanese that would never catch on. Iced coffee has been around for centuries and is very common in warmer countries (and was before the 90s). アイスコーヒー is closer to cold brew than the milkshake-esque thing we call iced coffee.

froh 2y ago

it may well be "cold brew", a coffee specialty that is some work to make at home and that has a very distinguished taste and contrast coffee that was brewed hot and then cooled down.

Cthulhu_ 2y ago

> I wonder if this is something that would catch on outside of Japan. Cynically, only if someone sees a business / money making opportunity.

alephnan 2y ago

Vietnamese people have been drinking iced coffee for half a century. The more ridiculous proposition here is that people, other than Americans, only drink hot coffee.

xhevahir 2y ago

My first thought when I read this was, "This is very Japanese, and nothing like it would ever happen in America." Americans and Japanese are poles apart in the ways they relate to their communities, older generations, etc.