"A vending machine that's overly concerned with (blending into) the urban landscape."
This is how Japanese Twitter user Saho.explorer (@urbex_34) captioned the photo of an unusual vending machine he saw during his most recent travels. Saho.explorer enjoys photographing abandoned buildings, landscapes, and unusual architecture in Japan and abroad, the results of which he then shares on his Twitter account.
Many people imagine vending machines as having a colorful appearance. In Japan, they are often painted in bright colors such as red, blue or yellow so they can be easily recognized from afar.
However, this Coke machine goes out of its way to blend in, not stand out.

This vending machine is the color of weathered wood, the same as that of the surrounding buildings.
Upon closer inspection, it becomes clear that there's a modern, red vending machine inside but it is housed within a stylishly designed and beautifully carved wooden frame that blends in with the building behind it.
In fact, this vending machine was photographed in the town of 大森 Omori, in the vicinity of the 石見銀山 Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine, located in 大田市 Oda City, Shimane Prefecture.
The Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine was registered as a World Heritage Site in 2007, one of the 14 components of which was the mining settlement of Omori Ginzan (大森銀山). Thus, the townscape, reminiscent of the Edo period, has been preserved.




Many people were impressed by the photo of the vending machine that camouflages itself so well into its surroundings, making it look like something from the Edo era.
Some of the comments they left were:
"It shows the seriousness of the people in this town. I want to go and check it out for myself!"
"It blends in well with the townscape. The person who had the inspiration to do this and crafted this gorgeous wooden housing is a genius!"
"What a cool vending machine! With its design, it would look totally natural if a samurai in hakama (traditional Japanese male dress) bought something from it."
The mining settlement of Omori Ginzan must really care about preserving its Edo-period townscape if it makes such an effort even for a single vending machine.
It also makes one wonder if they've done a similar treatment to things like phone booths and ATMs in the town.
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5 Comments
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Yrral
The old vending machine,the more you yank ,the more thing you got free
moonwatcher
Actually Coke is a work of art, recipe wise. One of the greatest beverages ever created. Vending machines are also a work of art, engineering wise. Ever work on one? Be all that it may, the machine itself just probably shouldnt be placed here at all, though its wood shell is remarkable.