Bento and ekiben 弁当・駅弁
A bento is a boxed meal, usually rice with side dishes of meat, fish or vegetables, made to eat away from home. An ekiben is a bento sold at a railway station for eating on the train.
About Bento and ekiben
- What it is: Bento can be homemade or bought. Classic styles include makunouchi, first eaten in theatre intervals, and kyaraben, with food shaped into cute characters.
- Ekiben: The name joins eki (station) and bento. Each region sells its own, showing off local food such as beef, crab or gyoza, and some come in shinkansen-shaped boxes. They are bought before boarding and eaten during the journey, including on the shinkansen.
- Where to try it: Convenience stores, supermarkets and department-store food halls for bento. For ekiben, shops and kiosks at larger stations; Tokyo Station has hundreds to choose from.
- Price: Most ekiben cost roughly 700 to 1,200 yen; the most elaborate cost 3,000 yen or more.
- How to eat it: The boxes on display are often samples, so point to the one you want and staff will bring a freshly packed box.
Checked against: Bentō | nippon.com · Guide to Ekiben: the best bento box for on the train | JRPass.com · Ekiben guide | Tokyo Cheapo.
Bento and ekiben on Shibuya246
Photos and stories from the blog, as they were written at the time.
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