JapanNewbie

Kansai-ben Speaking Vending Machine

Posted on 07. Jun, 2009 @ 2:05 am by harvey in Crazy Consumers, Language, Osaka Views: 1,127

Here is a kooky video of a vending machine in Japan that speaks to its customers in Kansai-ben.

It says “maido!” (まいど！) When a customer inserts their money, which is the Kansai greeting used like “irasshai!” (いらっしゃい！Welcome!) when people enter your store. Once the user makes their selection it says, “Ookini!” which is Kansai-ben for “arigatou!” (ありがとう！)

In Osaka and other cities in the Kansai region store clerks will often call out “Maido!” as you enter (and sometimes when you leave) their place of business, especially if they have gotten to know you and recognize you as a good customer. They may also say “Maido ookini!”, of which “maido” is simply a shortened form. I noticed that it was usually the store clerks in the smaller more traditional shops that would use these phrases. For example, the master at Kuishinbo, he’s great! Go eat there. Now. On the other hand, if you walk into Adidas in Shinsaibashi (a central area of Osaka) the clerks will probably attempt to speak standard dialect.

This vending machine though, this is news to me!

For everyone else in Kansai, did you hear Maido and Okini a lot?

If you’re interested in more Kansai-ben phrases, check out our Kansai-ben iPhone Application. Japanese 101: Kansai Dialect. Maido, Ookini, and hundreds of other expressions are introduced in this app.

- Harvey