Japan is famous for its world-class rail and excellent delicacies, and among the best methods for vacationers to expertise each is by sampling ekiben (bento containers designed for prepare journey).
Ekiben , ubiquitous in prepare stations all through Japan, are way more than primary pre-arranged meals in a field. Reflecting native and seasonal specialties, one of the best ekiben are superbly offered and has a colorful array of elements, providing vacationers a uniquely Japanese culinary expertise.
Excited to discover Japanese delicacies while touring between Japan’s finest locations? That will help you journey like a neighborhood, we’ve put collectively this information to Japan’s beloved prepare meals so you may dine in type whereas using the rails.
What Are Ekiben?
The phrase ‘ekiben’ is a portmanteau, combining the Japanese ‘ eki ‘ (which means ‘prepare station’) and a shortened type of ‘ bento ‘ (which means ‘lunch field’). These boxed bentos are offered at long-distance prepare stations throughout the nation, usually utilizing regional elements that capture the style of Japan’s particular person prefectures.
A far cry from pre-packaged, nutritionally poor snacks, ekiben are well-known for high-quality elements. To create a balanced meal, these bentos normally include rice or noodles, greens, and meat, fish, or seafood for protein.
The dishes can vary from the easy (omelets, rice balls, tempura, or fried tofu) to the extra extravagant (sea urchin, grilled beef tongue, stewed eel, and rice pilaf, or tender Wagyu beef). The katsu sando (breaded pork cutlet sandwiched in white bread) is a traditional lunchtime favourite, and also you’ll usually see gyoza and sushi in ekiben kind too. So long as it’s transportable and designed for prepare eating, just about any meal will be loved as ekiben .
The ornamental outer packaging of ekiben is often elegant or distinctive sufficient to warrant preservation as a memento. Whether or not lacquered wooden, a ceramic pot, or a plastic storage field formed like its bullet prepare namesake, these ekiben containers will be reused as soon as empty – maybe even for making bento at home.
Whereas it’s not widely etiquette to eat and drink on native transit in Japan, long-distance trains such because the shinkansen ( bullet preparation) are a special matter. Not solely is it completely acceptable to get pleasure from a meal on board, it’s a national custom, and shinkansen seats have tray tables for this particular function. There’s one thing splendidly charming about savoring your ekiben while watching the surroundings fly previous through the window.
Learn more about getting round in our complete information to coach journey in Japan , and why the JR Cross isn’t the most suitable choice for a lot of vacationers.
How Did Ekiben Grow to be Commonplace Fare for Vacationers?
Particularly in comparison with prepare meals in different nations, ekiben are outstandingly stunning and scrumptious. However they continue to be a meal of the individuals, and their recognition has grown alongside the events of the unparalleled Japanese rail community.
The primary ekiben will be traced again to Tochigi prefecture within the late nineteenth century when a brand new JR line was established. At Utsunomiya Station in Japan’s northern Kanto area, distributors walked the platforms and offered a ‘station lunch field’ to passengers via the preparation window: a meal consisting of two freshly made onigiri (rice balls) and some slices of pickled daikon (radish), all wrapped in a sheet of bamboo leaves. (Enjoyable truth for food-lovers: Utsunomiya is now synonymous with gyoza!)
Whereas not the frilly ekiben we all know right now, these early prepared lunches have been fortunately welcomed because of the pre-existing recognition of bento, a compactly carried and neatly compartmentalized boxed meal. Japanese household had been carrying bento to work or college for hundreds of years, so train-specific bento was a straightforward transition. Still, the earliest ekiben weren’t but an inexpensive possibility for almost all of prepare passengers.
Just a few years later, a mixture meal of white rice and facet dishes like rolled omelets and fish truffles was offered by distributors at Himeji Station in Hyogo prefecture. Within the late Showa Interval, ekiben started to appear at successive stations, offered on the platform’s edge by stall holders benefiting from the steam prepare’s frequent pauses alongside its route.
By the Nineteen Fifties, private journey preparation was booming: extra individuals wanted to eat throughout their lengthy journeys, and using extra native elements made ekiben a less expensive and thus extra accessible possibility for vacationers.
By the Nineteen Eighties, ekiben had advanced to a degree of cultural necessity. Specific regional ekiben has been solely accessible at one particular prepare station, making a layer of uniqueness to a traveler’s journey – although malls extra started internet hosting annual ekiben tournaments for individuals to attempt Japan’s regional varieties with out the necessity to journey.
Although right now’s trendy trains are a lot sooner and there are extra eating choices accessible, ekiben are firmly entrenched in Japan’s culinary tradition.
The place to Discover the Finest Ekiben
Ekiben are normally finest bought earlier than your prepare journey: Although some trains will provide on-board meals service (trolley service), it’s not an assurance. As an illustration, the Kagayaki Shinkansen (Hokuriku Shinkansen), which connects Tokyo with Kanazawa, has the luxurious ‘Gran Class’ service. This ticket class comes with limitless drinks and a small bento – although we although recommend purchasing for bentos at Tokyo Station previously, because it’s a novel expertise to browse the retailers forward of the journey.
Scouring the cabinets for a bento field that takes your fancy is a superb part of making ready for the shinkansen , and there are many locations to choose from. In Tokyo Station, you’ll discover maybe the largest array of ekiben within the nation: There are stunning alternatives of bentos all through the station, together with specialty snacks and sweets, and Japanese craft beers and sake to get pleasure from on the preparation.
Remember that time of day makes a distinction: shopping through the commuter rush-hour means you’ll positively be queuing in your ekiben !
Listed below are a couple of our favorite locations in and around Tokyo Station to browse for distinctive and high-end ekiben :
- Daimaru Tokyo division retailer has an exquisite depachika (meals corridor) that opens at 10:00 am. You’ll discover it related to the station’s Yaesu North Exit.
- eCute and GranSta, two procuring areas inside the principle ticket gates, are nice locations to select up quite a lot of premium bentos, candy treats, and extra.
- Ekiben-ya Matsuri is a particularly standard retailer, simply previous the ticket gates on the primary ground of Tokyo Station. With over 170 various kinds of ekiben , together with many regional varieties from across the nation, it’s an ideal place to browse.
- For some high quality sake to enhance your meal, go to Hasegawa Saketen within the GranSta procuring space, which additionally has loads of wine and craft beer.
Searching for ekiben in-store extra means that you can ask extra questions before you purchase. Larger shops could have allergen info and English translations accessible, although there are sometimes plastic representations or pictures of the bentos on sale.
If in case you have meals allergy symptoms or restrictions, learn our information to travel in Japan with dietary necessities .
With hundreds of variations of ekiben accessible in Japan, it may be a bit overwhelming to choose. Our most popular technique is to maintain a watch out for essentially the most intriguing or superbly packaged bentos when you browse the cabinets. Culinary adventurers can go for the specialties that every area is thought for, like Hokkaido’s seafood, Mie’s Wagyu beef, or Sendai’s grilled beef tongue.
Listed below are a couple of one of the best varieties to attempt when touring round Japan:
Shinkansen E7 kei Bento
An ideal memento merchandise courtesy of Ekiben-ya Matsuri in Tokyo Station, this shinkansen bento field comes within the type of a brightly painted plastic bullet preparation. Inside is a variety of traditional meals – fried chicken, onigiri, shrimp tempura and pickled greens – making this ekiben especially interesting to the younger vacationers in your group.
Masu no Sushi Toyama
Probably the most well-known regional dish of Toyama prefecture is Masu no Sushi: strips of native fatty trout that’s been salted and seasoned atop a spherical mattress of dense, sticky rice. The ekiben model can also be offered in a round trend, wrapped tightly in bamboo leaves to take care of stress and held in a spherical cedar wooden field which allows enough aeration for the sushi. It’s so distinctive that there’s even a museum in Toyama Metropolis devoted to the 300-year historical past of making this regional specialty.
Daruma Bento Gunma
One other standard collectible ekiben field is the daruma bento, formed like the standard doll from Takasaki in Gunma prefecture which is a talisman for good luck. After having fun with a meal of rice, hen, and greens hiding beneath the daruma’s face, you should use the emptied daruma-shaped field as a coin financial institution by way of the doll’s open mouth.
Hipparidako Meshi Nishi Akashi
Akashi in Hyogo Prefecture is famend for each its abundant and tender octopus and the clay Takotsubo pots historically used to catch them. The result’s an ekiben served in a reusable ceramic pot that’s opened to reveal fluffy rice on a soy sauce base, shiitake mushrooms, bamboo shoots, carved carrots, and the show-stopper: chunks of native stewed octopus. First offered at Nishi-Akashi Station alongside the Sanyo Shinkansen line, the Hipparidako ekiben is now a well-liked dish offered at a number of JR stations in Hyogo.
Moo Taro Bento Mie
It’s troublesome to overlook the putting container of this Moo Taro Bento, formed like a cow’s head full with horns and a nostril ring. Inside, you’ll discover premium Wagyu beef and chopped ginger served strips on a mattress of rice, with a small serving of pickles alongside – and also you’ll even be handled to a musical rendition of the ‘Furusato’ folks track, which performs at any time when the lid is eliminated.
Kaizen Ezo Shomi Sapporo
The standard and freshness of the seafood from Hokkaido is excellent, because of the chilly waters surrounding the prefecture. Eating on the Kaizen Ezo Shomi ekiben is an expensive but surprisingly cost-effective approach to pattern one of the best of Hokkaido’s seafood: domestically caught salmon, crab, scallops, sea urchin and fish roe, all served on a mattress of vinegared sushi rice.
Ika Meshi
Hailing from the Oshima space of Hokkaido, Ika Meshi includes two small simmered squids seasoned with soy sauce and full of candy sticky rice. This ekiben is normally sliced into rings for simple consuming, though generally the squid is just skewered on a stick. It’s most available at Mori Station and different stations in Hokkaido.
FAQ
Are Bento Bins Chilly?
While most bento and ekiben are designed to be scrumptious when eaten chilly or at room temperature, once in a while, it’s possible you’ll discover bentos with self-heating containers. Tucked contained in the field is a heating component: merely pull the connected string and wait a couple of minutes in your meal to emerge steaming scorching. Self-heating ekiben are normally dearer, so when you’re eager to eat a scorching meal, look out for the microwave ovens accessible at numerous retailers and stations.
To assuage any fears about meals security and the shortage of refrigeration on board, ekiben packaging will clearly function each expiration dates and occasions.
What Is the Distinction Between Ekiben and Bento?
There isn’t actually a distinction between ekiben and bento besides of their names. Bento is the catch-all time period for compactly packed lunch containers, whereas ekiben is a particular kind of bento for consuming on a preparation – and in some methods is seen because the high-end connoisseur model of bento. Equally, soraben are the air journey alternate options, bought on the airport and eaten while flying.
Are There Chopsticks in Ekiben?
Sure, ekiben usually includes disposable picket chopsticks and a small oshibori . Relying on the precise dish, many may also embrace a packet of soy sauce, some pickled or contemporary ginger, or different seasoning.
Can You Drink Alcohol on the Practice?
Sure, it’s fairly widely for Japanese individuals to accompany their ekiben with a chilly beer bought from the preparation station. Some prepare stations even have small liquor shops the place you may decide up native craft beers, jizake (native sake), and even small bottles of wine designed for prepare journey. Simply don’t overdo it, as journey prepare in Japan is supposed to be loved quietly.
Which Ekiben Will You Attempt?
At Boutique Japan, we’re enthusiastic about planning journeys to fit your ideal suited mixture of locations, actions, and experiences – together with meals! Now that we’ve awoken your style buds, get in contact about creating a customized Japan itinerary that features the nation’s most original and scrumptious meals experiences.