A patent for an "automatic goods vending machine" was filed in 1888 in Japan; early surviving vending machines from around the 1900s include one that dispenses stamps and postcards, and one that dispenses sake. Confectionery vending machine became widespread in the 1920s, and juice vending machines became popular in the late 1950s and 1960s. By 2000, the number of vending machines in Japan have grown to 5.6 million. However, after the 2000s, as the world is moving to a more digital age, the number of vending machines in Japan has decreased to 5.03 million and the sales amount has also been decreasing gradually.