One of the best-loved images of Japan is that of the vending machine. And although we’ve seen plenty of interesting vending machines all over Japan, even for outright marketing, the recent Smart Vendor in Shibuya Station might just take the creativity award home.

Dotted along the streets, shopping centers and buildings of every town and city in Japan Vending machines used to sell or market everything from bouquets of fresh flowers to batteries to rice in a PET plastic bottle, these “shops in a box” generated nearly 7 trillion yen (approx. USD$11 billion) in 2007, according to the Japan Vending Machine Manufacture’s Association.

Japan has over 5.6 million vending machines and companies large and small use the vending machine as a way to reach customers from a variety of marketing standpoints. Vending machines in rural areas offer the consumer a 24-hour a day purchasing option where brick-and-mortar shops have closed or don’t exist. Companies also use the machines as an unconventional way to sell specialized products, introduce and test the popularity of new goods and even just to distribute free marketing literature. During June of 2008, visitors to the shopping and entertainment district of Shibuya, Tokyo were awed by Smart Car’s offering of a full-scale eco-Smart Car.

The faux vending machine offered two choices (coupe and cabrio), and a convenient slot to insert the amount you need (about $20k). Of course, this is a concept only, but it is a nice extension of their already creative vending machine idea that fits right into the Japanese love for instant gratification on-the-go.

Pushing the button on the vendor won’t exactly pop out a car, but it does dispense a branded tube containing pamphlets on the new models, dealer information, and a sheet of Smart Car stickers featuring the available colors.

Now the big question: Will the Smart Car become a hit in Japan? One would think “yes” because of limited space, but cutting the car in half still won’t give us anywhere else to park unless the parking spaces are cut in half as well. However, with rising gas prices and a burgeoning Eco movement in Japan, it just might make the dent it wants to.