Ekiben: Amazing Bento Treats of Japanese Train Stations

Bet you never thought train stations can offer a foodie experience. But in Japan, Ekiben or train station bento are a signature set-meal staple for travellers near and far, with a great variety of unique flavours to choose from.

In fact, Ekiben has been around since the earliest train tracks and stations were built, before plastic was even invented. Back then, vendors carried the Ekiben in covered trays and sold them along the platform and through the train windows. Some still do to this day, like at Maibara Station in the Shiga Prefecture and Orio station along the Kagoshima line. In most stations, however, Ekiben are sold at their specialized stores.

Hot and Cold Ekiben

Most Ekiben are cooked and seasoned to be eaten cold or at room temperature aboard your train ride, and still maintain their supple textures and umami flavours. But if you prefer a hot meal, the Ekiben shops usually have microwave ovens for you to heat them before your ride.

There are also self-heating Ekiben. A unique Japanese creation with an extra compartment with a pull-string attached to the bottom of bento boxes. The compartment actually contains an air-tight water pouch atop a bed of quicklime. Pull the string and the pouch cuts open, pouring the water onto the quicklime. This triggers a chemical reaction that produces high heat and steam, thus cooking the bento’s food.

Iconic Japanese Ekiben

From limited editions and daily staples to regional specials, souvenir treats and seasonal delights, there are literally thousands of Ekiben varieties to savour. Every Japanese prefecture has their own unique local cuisine. Thus, you can also find Ekiben that feature local specialities in beautifully designed bento boxes.

Here are some iconic Ekiben to discover:

Makunochi Ekiben

Makunochi Bento is the first type of Ekiben ever sold and remains an everyday staple for travellers today. Made as a full meal complete with rice, meat or fish, veggies and a side of Tsukemono pickles. The rice is shaped into mounds or rolls and garnished with sesame seeds for aroma, and the dishes are a combo of savoury, sweet and tangy flavours; while also giving you a balanced, nutritious meal.

Masu no Sushi Toyama

The Masu No Sushi Ekiben at the Toyama station comes in a round cedar box with bamboo leaves tightly wrapped like petals around a centre of salted Toyama trout and sticky rice. A legacy bento with over 300-years of history!

Daruma Bento Gunma

An oval bento box with a doll face of Daruma etched in its cover, this delightful Ekiben is a Gunma Prefecture special. Daruma is the founder of Zen Buddhist and represents good luck, and the box is also meant to be used as a piggy bank after you finish the food within – which includes rice, chicken and local Gunma veggies.

Hipparidako Meshi Nishi Akasi

From the Nishi-Akashi Station in Hyogo Prefecture, this Ekiben is shaped like a tall ceramic pot and packs savoury stewed octopus with soy sauce rice, bamboo shoots, carrots and shiitake mushrooms. The pot resembles the traditional Takotsubo pots used to catch octopi around the region’s coast.

Moo Taro Bento Mie

Mie Prefecture’s Moo Taro Bento has a bullhead design on the box, as the region is famous for their premium Wagyu beef – packed in this Ekiben with rice, ginger strips and pickles. The box even plays a tune when you open it! A local folk song named Furusato.

Kaisen Ezo Shomi Sapporo

This octagonal Ekiben is a sumptuous seafood bonanza of the Hokkaido Prefecture, cooked fresh from catches in the region’s seawater. The box opens to salmon, roes, crab, scallops and sea urchins atop a bed of sushi rice. The simplest way to sample all the famous seafood of Hokkaido!

Ika Meshi

Another Ekiben special of Hokkaido, specifically of the Oshima township. Packed with simmered soy sauce squids and sweet sticky rice. The squid comes in sliced rings or in balls skewered on sticks.

Shinkansen E7 Kei Ekiben

The Shinkansen E7 Kei Ekiben is the signature bento of the Ekiben-ya Matsui shop in Tokyo Station. The box is designed as a miniature bullet train, and packs fried chicken, onigiri rice ball, shrimp tempura and pickled veggies. You can also find special Ekiben-s from every Japanese Prefecture at the Ekiben-ya Matsuri shop!

More Bento Goodness

Packing food for yourself and your loved ones is always a loving treat, and bento-s are an essential staple in Japanese food culture from households to shops and train stations. Come discover how you too, can make your own bento with our easy recipes here! Also check out our handy guide to make the perfect lunchbox!