Oh ok. Yes, some places put your change in a tray (which I've seen in the US too), but you still hand money directly to them. It's really not the same thing that's discussed in the article.
right, I guess it's a bit more 'both ways' in Japan, maybe because of the aversion to phyiscal contact and love of politeness....but same thing basically. I recall seeing them in Berlin/DE most often at train station cafes/Bäckerei etc
