I was part of a group of college students studying in Japan. It was my first trip out of the country. I was nervous about living in a foreign culture and glad I was not alone.

I knew it was common for odd things to be sold in Japanese vending machines. I saw beer, cigarettes, and magazines, as well as the traditional stuff. As I neared our dojo, I took note of one offering some kind of wild candy. It was decorated with radioactive signs, exclamation points, and authoritative symbols.

While I was admiring the colorful outside, a man walked up and put coins inside. He received a small red ball, like a cinnamon red hot. He popped it into his mouth. I looked to see which door my fellow foreigners entered, and decided to follow him and ask about the candy. My Japanese was passable.

But as I began to follow, a woman wearing a business suit went to the machine. She pushed buttons, did not enter any coins, and as I stared, the boxes disintegrated and the bags split open. A waterfall of candies filled the inside.