The list of places and objects that represent Japan needs to be longer: after mount Fuji, the cherry blossom and the well-known sushi, we need to add the vending machines.

It’s the Japanese photographer Eiji Ohashi to say that, through his photographic series, Roadside lights, where he describes his country, taking photos of these lonely and completely automatized places.

A personally story has pushed him towards this kind of subjects: during a fierce snowstorm Eiji was completely lost and the only thing that helped him was the illumination of some vending machines.

It’s a photographic story made by gratitude, but also a description of Japanese tendencies to buy a lot, and at the same time the great sense of security that the country provides putting them in very lonely place.

Remember this story the next time you will be infuriated with a vending machine that doesn’t want to give you your snack.