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Weird Japanese vending machine art installation has us sweaty, disturbed

Katy Kelly Jun 6, 2018
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Stay out too long in the direct heat, and this is what might happen to you.

As we head into June, the temperatures are climbing higher and higher. While we still have a little way to go until the full force of the steamy, humid conditions of a Japanese summer, we’ve officially reached the time of year where everyone wants to crank the AC a little higher, and it’s a good idea to make sure you keep yourself hydrated.

Japan is famous for its ubiquitous beverage machines. Whether you’re in the middle of nowhere, halfway up a mountain, visiting a secret shrine or just passing through a car on the Shinkansen, you can bet you’ll see at least one of these machines, lined with bottles of green tea, Pepsi, and enough canned coffee to fuel you for a year. Still, you never know when the heat might prove a little too intense, and those trusty machines might give out on you. For example, the machine might be broken. The company might have refused to restock it. There are many reasons you don’t want to take those vending machines for granted.

For example, Twitter user @ganjin_Kamaboko was out enjoying the summer sunshine when he discovered a shocking sight. Pregnant women and readers of delicate dispositions may want to skip past this upsetting image, depicting a vending machine left outside in the burning heat for far longer than the recommended amount of time.

▼ “Oh, man. Well, I guess it IS pretty hot today.”

今日は暑いからね
しょうがないね pic.twitter.com/51yb4xQBbK

— ガンジン (@ganjin_Kamaboko) June 3, 2018

… Okay, maybe this photograph would be a little more believable in mid-August.

While the picture rapidly went viral, accruing tens of thousands of likes and retweets, people were quick to guess that it was in fact a picture of an art installation, and not a real case of a vending machine suffering from heat exhaustion.

Several curious users asked if you can buy a drink from it anyway (you can’t) and where it would be dispensed if you could (presumably it would just get glorped out into the blob of molten metal at the base, promptly dissolving the can or bottle in seconds and rendering your purchase useless.)

One worried comment read: “I can just imagine it! You’re out, stumbling through the heat, when you finally find a vending machine – but wait! It’s this one! “You’ve got to be kidding!” you would scream, laying waste to the area around you. But seriously, are there real vending machines nearby?” The original poster reassured them that while there were no vending machines in the photograph, there are actually real ones lined up a few feet away.

▼　You can see the full range of real and fake vending machines in this photograph

屋外で楽しむトリックアート！　立体オブジェ「自動販売機とけちゃった」堂々登場です。メルティングシリーズとして今後も展開していきます。青空の中インスタ栄え間違いなし！　みんな見に来てね♪　#那須とりっくあーとぴあ　 #那須アメージングNOW　#那須高原　 @nasutrickart pic.twitter.com/ZcN9racy7X

— 那須とりっくあーとぴあ (@nasutrickart) April 26, 2018

When one user questioned @ganjin_Kamaboko about where the photograph was taken, he replied that it’s one of many photo spots from Trick Artopia in Nasu City, Tochigi Prefecture. Trick Artopia is a tourist attraction where you interact with 3-D art installations: you can snap a selfie while a portrait of a woman pours milk into your waiting mouth, or have angry octopuses surround you while you try to break out of a tiny cage. It’s a unique day out for all ages, filled with the kind of quirky humor you see in the above tweet.

▼ Even the cast of Final Fantasy can get in on the fun.

本日はファイナルファンタジーのコスプレイヤー様にご来館いただきました♪
いつもありがとうございます！トリックアートの世界観に溶け込んでいてとても素敵ですね。#那須とりっくあーとぴあ　 #石川荘　 #那須高原 @nasutrickart pic.twitter.com/mjoX8RgdSA

— 那須とりっくあーとぴあ (@nasutrickart) June 3, 2018

It costs 1,300 yen (US$11.80) to visit one of the park’s three halls of mindbending art pieces, though you can visit all three for the combo price of 2,700 yen. The Trick Art’s Labyrinth is where you’ll find this beautiful abomination, so get your Instagram filters ready!

The gallery itself noticed the tweet and left a delighted message, if you were wondering.

▼ “Mr. Kanjin, thank you so much from all of us at Nasu Trick Artopia for enjoying our newest installation! We were bowled over by all the likes you got. It seems like the heatwave will continue, so everyone please take care not to melt into a puddle.”

ガンジンさん、『那須とりっくあーとぴあ』の最新作を楽しんで頂き、ありがとうございます。
”いいね”が多くて驚いています！！
近頃、熱い日々が続いていますので、皆様も溶けちゃわないようにご注意ください。

— 那須とりっくあーとぴあ (@nasutrickart) June 4, 2018

If all that sweltering imagery has you sweating bullets, why not cool down with this tiny, perfect sculpture of a princess in an ice cube? Once you’re back at room temperature you can cram even more mind-melting tricks of perspective into your eyes with the Tianjin art gallery. It’s harder than ever to trust your eyes these days!

Gallery information
Nasu Trick Artopia / 那須とりっくあーとぴあ
Address: Tochigi-ken, Nasu-gun, Nasu-machi Takakukou 5760
栃木県那須郡那須町高久甲5760
Open: 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Website

Sources: Twitter/@ganjin_Kamaboko, Nasu Trick Artopia
Featured image: Twitter/@ganjin_Kamaboko