The Observer's Guide to Japanese Vending Machines
THE OBSERVER'S GUIDE TO JAPANESE VENDING MACHINES is a visual exploration of Japan through its vending machines.
From rarely visited corners of Tokyo to the temple grounds of Kyoto to the villages of the Kii Peninsula, vending machines dispensing coffee, tea, cigarettes, and soup are everywhere in Japan. This book reveals how ever-present and varied these machines are, how integral they are to daily life, and how, when viewed with the eye of a keen observer, they can reveal the everyday scenes of a place that’s often only depicted by its most iconic sites.
1,000 copies / signed and numbered
Hardcover / Cloth-bound / Smyth sewn
Foil-stamped debossed cover
156 pages / 146 photographs
80 lb. paper
7 x 9.33 inches
Printed in Montreal
ISBN 979-8-218-44506-5
International Customers
Please reach out for ordering info. International customers should keep in mind that payment of an additional import customs VAT may be required on receipt of package depending on your location. Thank you in advance for understanding.
THE OBSERVER'S GUIDE TO JAPANESE VENDING MACHINES is a visual exploration of Japan through its vending machines.
From rarely visited corners of Tokyo to the temple grounds of Kyoto to the villages of the Kii Peninsula, vending machines dispensing coffee, tea, cigarettes, and soup are everywhere in Japan. This book reveals how ever-present and varied these machines are, how integral they are to daily life, and how, when viewed with the eye of a keen observer, they can reveal the everyday scenes of a place that’s often only depicted by its most iconic sites.
1,000 copies / signed and numbered
Hardcover / Cloth-bound / Smyth sewn
Foil-stamped debossed cover
156 pages / 146 photographs
80 lb. paper
7 x 9.33 inches
Printed in Montreal
ISBN 979-8-218-44506-5
International Customers
Please reach out for ordering info. International customers should keep in mind that payment of an additional import customs VAT may be required on receipt of package depending on your location. Thank you in advance for understanding.
THE OBSERVER'S GUIDE TO JAPANESE VENDING MACHINES is a visual exploration of Japan through its vending machines.
From rarely visited corners of Tokyo to the temple grounds of Kyoto to the villages of the Kii Peninsula, vending machines dispensing coffee, tea, cigarettes, and soup are everywhere in Japan. This book reveals how ever-present and varied these machines are, how integral they are to daily life, and how, when viewed with the eye of a keen observer, they can reveal the everyday scenes of a place that’s often only depicted by its most iconic sites.
1,000 copies / signed and numbered
Hardcover / Cloth-bound / Smyth sewn
Foil-stamped debossed cover
156 pages / 146 photographs
80 lb. paper
7 x 9.33 inches
Printed in Montreal
ISBN 979-8-218-44506-5
International Customers
Please reach out for ordering info. International customers should keep in mind that payment of an additional import customs VAT may be required on receipt of package depending on your location. Thank you in advance for understanding.
Design Details
Vintage nature field guides served as the design inspiration behind the book. Working with designer Viscaya Wagner, we devised a cover that reflects these books through its simple, reference-style format. The title and a drawing of a vending machine inspired by patent diagrams are debossed in white foil on the book’s front and back. The hardcover book boards are wrapped in FSC-Certified bookcloth to match the hues of the ginkgo trees I saw during one of my trips to Japan. The edges of the pages were painted by BookArt in Montreal to allude to the sakura blossoms from a separate trip.
A Note on Production
The photographs that led to the making of THE OBSERVER’S GUIDE TO JAPANESE VENDING MACHINES were taken during two trips to Japan in 2023. When I set out on the first trip I did not intend to make a book, or to take photos of vending machines. These intentions came later, after realizing that by paying attention to and seeking out these everyday street-side appliances I was discovering another layer of life in the places I visited. The photos remained compelling after returning from my second trip — I seemed to discover something new them every time I looked at them — and when I began collecting them in a book I approached the design process with the ambition to give thoughtful attention to every detail here, too. With the help of my printing partners in Montreal and my friends and editors here, we’ve done just that.
You can learn more about the book’s design and production and see behind the scenes photos on my newsletter.
