…and living in Japan
Behold the Japanese train ticket vending machine, which is about as close to infallible as a machine can get. You stick in your money, and—unlike the ticket machine I once encountered in San Francisco, which rained down $14.00 IN CHANGE like some sort of demented Vegas slot machine—even if you put in a ¥10,000 note (the equivalent of a hundred dollar bill), the machine spits out nice neat yen notes and perfect change along with your ticket.
But surely no machine can be THAT perfect! What happens when The Great And Mighty Oz DOES make a mistake?
Well, hidden behind a notice so ordinary it’s the perfect disguise is…
…the Great and Mighty Oz!
Yes, there’s a guy whose job it is to stand behind the bank of ticket machines, making sure the cash is topped up in the change-making part, emptying the avalanche of money that comes in during the day, and being on call in case something goes wrong. And if it does? He fixes it.
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Jonelle Patrick writes novels set in Japan, and blogs at Only In Japan and The Tokyo Guide I Wish I’d Had
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