Memories of Vending Machines

My father worked delivering drinks to vending machines.
He carried drinks almost every day, whether it was a hot summer day or a cold winter day.
A single case was too heavy for me as a child to carry. He would stack two or three of them to restock the machines.

He said that the sales from vending machines in the summer could be quite a large amount, and that collecting it involved danger. This was because there was a possibility of being attacked and robbed by someone.
It seems there are various risks involved in maintaining vending machines.
Japan has good public safety, so even with vending machines all over town, they are rarely broken into and the money inside stolen.
Perhaps that level of peace is not something to be taken for granted. The awareness of individual Japanese people makes that possible.

It is truly a blessing to be able to get drinks easily anytime, anywhere. When I feel unwell or need to take medicine, I feel relieved when there is a vending machine nearby.
When I go to the countryside and visit places where there aren't even any vending machines, I realize their value even more.
I think we must not forget that it takes the hands of people to maintain them.

I am also grateful for the boxes provided around vending machines to collect plastic bottles. They become a burden to carry home, so I think it is convenient to be able to dispose of them along the way. I believe this is also something we can use because there are people who collect them.

One might tend to think that vending machines are just machines and don't require human intervention, but they are supported by the efforts of many people.

While being grateful for that, I would like to at least use them with good manners so as not to make the vending machines dirty.

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