European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 17, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Mania hits Japan not in Tokyo a Young woman obtains details on a prospective Date from a vending  provide everything from porn to Flowers by James Sterngold the new York times vending machines Are everywhere in Japan dispensing nearly All of life s necessities and Many of the frills. In addition to the usual train tickets soft drinks and cigarettes Japan a colourfully turned out machines dispense jewelry fresh Flowers Frozen beef Rice whiskey hamburgers pornographic magazines videocassettes and batteries. From bustling Urban intersections to the most bucolic Rural Lane there is sure to be a humming Box to satisfy a consumer s needs. If you need a Date a vending machine will provide leads on prospects. If you Are sightseeing and have forgotten a camera a machine Sells throwaway cameras. If you visit a Public Sauna and want to feel fresh afterwards machines there sell underwear. On your Way to an appointment and forgot your business cards a company is developing a machine that will print them out instantly. Japan has about 5.4 million of the machines almost the same number As in the United states but for half the population. And each japanese machine produces on average twice the sales volume As its . Counterpart. A total of More than $45 billion in goods was sold through japanese vending machines last year. Beverage companies account for nearly half of All vending machine sales Quot they Are a reflection of the Pace of life today Quot said Stephen Marvin a Stock analyst at Jardine Fleming securities in Tokyo. Quot people would prefer just grabbing something from a machine and  in a nation where retailing methods have often been described As a reflection of the Peoples unique social character the trend represents a deep change in habits. For generations the formula for reaching Consumers in Japan was said to require lavish attention and lots of personal service. Japan had so Many Small neighbourhood shops it was said because they provided the sense of intimacy and Trust Consumers demanded. But convenience is proving to be More attractive than the supposed comforts of dealing with a shopkeeper who is like an old family Friend the popularity of vending machines also shows How readers action line commissary worker has the payday blues it a i work for the commissary in Wiesbaden. For three months i have not been paid correctly. The paper work done at the Job is Fine but when it gets to the Mainz Kastel co civilian personnel office seem to get shortchanged each paycheck has been getting worse i expected to wait for my first paycheck but that was shortchanged Loo they went in my files and found the errors but after six weeks later i still had t been paid for that error then i was shortchanged a week that was explained and i was told i would be paid two weeks later but instead i Wasny to paid at All i am not the Only one whose pay is being screwed up but i would think after three months and three pay inquiries i would at least get paid i Don t know my next step to take nor does anyone else when they see i m not getting anywhere in the process that i was informed to take. Marvels r. Hollis Wiesbaden Germany Page 16 a the stars and stripes difficult Many japanese find reconciling their age old Devotion to elaborate courtesies with their increasingly harried lives. In a nation where every social encounter a at work at Home at the store a is still governed by obligation and ritual Many prefer to drop a couple Hundred yen into a machine than Deal with a person. In fact some experts suggest that this is a More important reason for the proliferation of vending machines than their Mere convenience Many japanese Consumers simply feel More comfortable dealing with a machine contrary to their garrulous reputation. A because of traditional attitudes it can be psychologically awkward to walk into a shop and buy something Small like a pack of cigarettes and then just leave Quot said Paul Hasegawa head of the International division of lamp a a Large advertising company. Quot so if you re embarrassed you buy things you Don t really need. You can t just Rush off if you re in a hurry. A machine is easier. It May sound Odd to you but that s the Way japanese people  the willingness of Consumers to pour their coins into Scharles m. Wiker director defense commissary Agency european Region replies we regret that you experienced pay problems during your employment with the Wiesbaden commissary but understand that you have now been fully compensated. We Hope that you experience no further problems but if you do you should Contact the payroll Point of Contact at your local civilian personnel office. Each army co has a person on its staff whose sole function is to handle pay problems such As yours to write us readers action line is the readers Quot court of last resort Quot striving to answer some of the questions about life overseas in a military environment or questions about policies and guidelines when other avenues Tor answers Are not readily available. If you have a question and Don t know where to turn for the answer write to readers action line co the stars and stripes. Unit 29480, Apo a 09211 Alt letters must be signed and preference will be Given to those seeking information of general interest to our readers Friday january 17, 1992 these increasingly High technology devices offers a glimpse into How some shrewd marketers Are capitalizing on changes in their society. And Many shopkeepers have embraced the trend to get around a Host of restrictions they normally face. With rents sky High and labor in Short Supply vending machines create More shelf space and run 24 hours a Day needing Only to be refilled from time to time. This untraditional Means of distribution also happens to be one of the most intensely competitive businesses in the country. Vending machines have insinuated themselves into just about every Nook in the japanese landscape. The traditional Shote Ngai or shopping Street still exists even in crowded Tokyo with the neighbourhood fish shop greengrocer Tofu shop and perhaps a Barber and a couple of Noodle shops. But increasingly these Small merchants can be found behind Banks of vending machines where those who have no time or interest in swapping the latest gossip can be in and out in a Flash. Quot they re All out there for a reason Quot said to Burke Mckinney director of marketing for coca cola Japan which operates More vending machines some 760,000, than any other company in the country. Quot the real Issue is the japanese life style. People Are demanding the convenience that a vending machine  japanese commonly commute up to four hours a Day and work unusually Long hours. Government efforts to persuade them to ease up have largely had the effect of encouraging people to stand in Ever growing lines to play Golf on weekends or take their place in expressway tie  leading to resorts. Students also Lead pressure filled lives often going to cram schools in addition to regular classes. In fact the hectic Pace has made Long Coffee Breaks a thing of the past for Many japanese. So Teshima Coffee co. Developed a Coffee drink that could be sold from vending machines by using a can with a special lining to preserve the flavor. Since then canned Coffee a unheard of in most other countries a has become the leading vending machine product Nobuhiro Shirakawa an official of Otari inc., which makes machines that sell bouquets of fresh Flowers said that his company s devices provided a Way for Young men to avoid the embarrassment of having to admit to shopkeepers that they were buying something Nice for a sweetheart an unaccustomed gesture in Japan. Since men Are so shy about buying Flowers directly a machine is much More convenient Quot he said. Quot for example. I be never gone into a shop to buy