Many moons ago, in my teens, I came across a vending machine with "Akarui Katei Seikatsu" written on it. I assumed it dispensed chewing gum and put some coins into it, and out came a tiny box. I put ...

One of the first vending machines most of us ever encountered involved a penny, a knob, and a colorful piece of gum. At one time, gumball machines could be found almost everywhere, from grocery stores ...