Japanese have a word to describe the lunch boxes for train trips: ekiben. Ekiben is a type of “boxed” (bento) take-away meal that is commonly sold at rail stations and airports. Ekiben were already popular in the 19th century; today they are mass produced in food processing facilities and combine two of the elements of a good Japanese meal: delicious food and nice presentation. I personally have very bad memories of meals consumed on trains in the US, Europe and China and I just try to avoid the experience. But when I am in Japan, I gladly incorporate an ekiben in my days on the road. Here’s a few examples from my trips.
The first one was advertised as the lunch box of the movie stars… found at Kyoto station on the way to Tokyo.
This specific ekiben sported a nice piece of marinated mackerel, a bite of unagi (fresh-water eel in its sauce), a piece of cutlet, and some other delicacies (a fish ball, a piece of fried tofu, etc.). And of course a good ration of rice.
Total price for this meal on the go, including a coke and a red been sweet (sold separately): 1,505 yen (around 13.55 USD). The ekiben alone was 1,010 yen, around 9 USD. As compared to overpriced meal options available in train stations and airports in other countries, not bad.
Here’s the unboxing of another ekiben (in my memory even better than the one described above):
This ekiben had a large portion of tonkatsu (pork cutlet), omelette, pickles, rice, even some spaghetti!
Finally a very nice ekiben consumed on the train between Hakodate and Sapporo for ony 980 yen (not even 9 USD):
Ekiben are my favorite cold lunch boxes in the world. If you happen to travel by train in Japan, arrive at the station a bit earlier to shop for an ekiben, so you will not miss the little joy to unpack it and consume its content.