EKIBEN ABC Station Lunch Box

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Train Station Lunch Box (ekiben)

***** Location: Japan
***** Season: Kigo for late spring
***** Category: Humanity

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Explanation

ekiben 駅弁 famous lunch boxes at every train station,
Bahnhofs-Bentō
a box lunch (sold at train stations or on trains), railway boxed meal
railroad boxed meal, railway lunchbox


Ekiben Mark 駅弁マーク
Every officially approved ekiben carries this mark, since 1988.
日本鉄道構内営業中央会

On April 10 is the day of the Ekiben
ekiben no hi 駅弁の日!
The Chinese character 弁 looks like a 十 (ten) and the image of number 4 are combined in the image pun for this day.
Thanks to Mariko Shimizu for this info.


Bento, bentoo 弁当　lunch box, lunchbox, Lunchpaket

bentoobako, bentobako, boxes for this lunch 弁当箱

Bentō; O-Bentō, Lunch-Paket
Bentō-Schachtel; Frühstückskasten, Bentoschachtel


source : keionet. order bento online


Many department stores have special sales of famous EKIBEN. You can order them also online.
The containers too are attractive and many collect them. They can be made from ceramic, wood or plastic. Some can later be used as something else, for example a piggy bank.

Others are not so special on the outside and just have a nice label.

Ekiben should contain some rice to live up to its name.

There are also many sandwiches sold at stations.

There is also a museum, EKIBEN Hakubutsukan
駅弁博物館
external LINK
驛弁博物館


ekiben gurume 駅弁ぐるめ gourmet who travels to eat ekiben

In 2007, there were special ekiben prepared along the Tokaido line for its 120 years of existence.
東海道線１２０周年記念


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History of the Ekiben 駅弁の歴史

The first train lines opened in 1872.
A lot of written material has been lost during the war.
The first Tokaido line between Tokyo and Kobe opened in 1889 and since then the dining cars and lunch box operations became a general busines.
The first lunch boxes were simple nigiri rice balls.
In 1888 the first "maku no uchi bento 幕の内弁当" with more ingredients was sold at Himeji Station. It contained one box with rice and one box with the ingredients.
In 1890 the first lunch boxes with local specialities were sold at Ichinoseki and Kurosawajiri (Iwate). They sold sushi.
In 1899 the first dining car operated.

Some stations take pride in being the really first ones to sell this kind of lunchbox.

Utsunomiya 宇都宮 (Tochigi) in 1885
梅干入りごま塩握り飯
A simple nigiri with black sesame outside and a dried plum inside, and a slice of takuan pickled radish to go with it.
First made by the restaurant Shiragiya 白木屋.

Umeda 梅田(Osaka) in 1877
Kobe (Hyogo) in 1877
Travellers had to buy it before boarding. Mostly for soldiers of the "Seinan War" with Kagoshima and Kyushu. The ships with the soldiers sailed from Kobe to the south, and soldiers moved from Osaka station to Kobe station.

Koyama 小山駅 (Tochigi) in 1885
Okinazushi 翁ずし with nori seaweed, abura-age tofu and an egg.
Made by Kashiwaya 柏屋. An old maid called OKINA made very good sushi by hand and sold it.

Ueno 上野 (Tokyo) in 1883
made by Fujinoya 弁当料理ふぢのや

Kumagaya (Saitama) in 1883
Since the first day of the train line, they sold sushi and bread.
Ueno and Kumagaya lines opened in the same year and some sold the lunch boxes "outside the station" (eki mae).

Takasaki 高崎 (Gunma) in 1884
mentioned in a survey of Ekiben in 1956.
Some trains seemed to have had a dining car, shokudoosha 食堂車.
Takaben later became famous because they used a container with Daruma san.



Takaben - Takasaki Bento Daruma


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Bentoobako ― Lunchboxes with Daruma Bentoobako 弁当箱



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In 1914 the modernism of the Taisho-Period began and also the first world war started. More lunch boxes were sold at many stations. The wrapping paper for lunch boxes became more elaborate with special local designs.

During world war 2 rice became scarce and many lunch boxes served bread or other grains instead. Since 1945 after the war people got used to eating out and the consumption of lunch boxes soared. Also "army lunch boxes" (gunben 軍弁) became popular.

source . http://www.ekibento.jp/nos-senzen-gunben1.htm


After 1956 the Tokaido Main Line became electrified, in 1969 the Tokaido Shinkansen 東海道新幹線 started to run. Along with the travelling boom came the need for more and more specialized local ekiben.
Since 1960 there is an annual "Ekiben Meeting" ekiben taikai 駅弁大会 with a competition to win.
Even now, when people can buy cheap lunch boxes at convenience stores in front of a station, many still prefer the real EKIBEN.

The most expensive, by the way, is the one with special Matsuzaka beef and costs more than 100 dollars.
極上松阪牛ヒレ牛肉弁当

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Ekiben selling(駅弁売り) - The man or woman who sells "Ekiben"
on the platform to the passengers in the train,while the train stops at the station.
This work has gone since the current train window will not open, but The window from the Meiji to the Showa period was easily opened by hand.

Railway advertisement in the Meiji Taisho period
Lithographic Printing, a Beauty riding at the first class train and Ekiben Selling
36.5 cm × 25.5 cm
- source : Hiromi on facebook 2017 -


Georges-Ferdinand Bigot (1860-1927)
"Railroad between Tokyo to Kobe" published in 1893.
on the platform Ekiben selling · · · only for 1st,2nd class cars
- source : Hiromi on facebook 2017 -

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Famous Ekiben A B C

Aizu Wakamatsu (Fukushima)
Kurisansai bentoo with chestnuts and mountain vegetables


Goshokawahara (Aomori, Tsugaru)
Dazai bentoo だざい弁当 lunchbox a la Dazai


Hamamatsu (Shizuoka)
unagi meshi eel with rice


Hachinohe (Aomori)
tako ninniku buta kimuchi don 田子にんにく豚キムチ丼
Rice with garlic and pork kimchee




Hitoyoshi (Kumamoto) 人吉駅弁
kuri bentoo 栗弁当 with sweet chestnuts
kuri meshi 栗めし, served in a container shaped like a chestnut
ayuzushi 鮎すし sushi of a whole sweetfish
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


Kamogawa (Chiba) 鴨川
umi to sazae meshi うにとさざえめし rice with uni and sazae
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
oraga don おらが丼」"my very own bowl" rice with seafood
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


Kanayama (Chiba) 金山
biwa bentoo びわ弁当
ichigo mochi
kujira bentoo くじら弁当　



Kareigawa (Kumamoto ) 嘉例川駅
百年の旅物語　かれい川 Kareigawa : Hyakunen no Tabi Monogatari



Kisarazu (Chiba) 木更津
asari bentoo アサリ弁当 / 漁り(あさり)
nanohana bentoo 菜の花弁当　
. . . CLICK here for Photos !



Kobe (Hyogo)
Shin-Kobe Shinkansen
Toomasu ranchi トーマスランチ
Lunchbox with Thomas, the locomotive




Koriyama Kooriyama 郡山, Fukushima
Aizu Jidori Torimeshi 会津地鶏 Local Chicken Meat from Aizu Wakamatsu



Kuji 奥久慈駅弁 Oku Kuji Ekiben
Shamo Bento しゃも弁当 , Local Chicken Lunchbox


Kuroiso (Tochigi)
Kijiyaki, fried pheasant
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


Matsue ( Shimane )
Oyogi-ushi no bentoo　およぎ牛の弁当　 with beef from the "swimming cows" of Oki no shima 隠岐の島.


Matsuzaka (Mie)
Mootaroo bentoo モー太郎弁当

With the famous Matsuzaka beef!
also
極上松阪牛ヒレ牛肉弁当 : The most expensive one in Japan.
. . . CLICK here for Photos of the most expensive beef filet !
COWS in Japan and the World
The Daily MOOOO BLOG / Amy Chavez



Miyajima (Hiroshima)
Anago Meshi 穴子飯弁当 . あなごめし Rice with conger eel



Miyako 宮古 (Iwate)
Ichigo bentoo いちご弁当
Lunchbox with uni and awabi, sea urchin eggs and abalone


Mitsuwasoo (Miyazaki)
Mitsuwasoo 三ツ和荘道弁
sono manma そのまんま　宮崎地鶏丼 jidori don with local chicken




Nagoya (Aichi)
ganso misokatsu monogatari "元祖みそかつ物語”
Original cotelette with miso Story,
with cutlets on a stick
. . . CLICK here for Photos !

. "Nobunaga Bento"　「信長膳」Nobunaga Zen .



Nikko 日光 Tobu Line
masu sushi 日光鱒寿し Sushi from masu, local trout



Numazu Shizuoka
Minato Ajizushi mackerel sushi with extra wasabi



Oarai, O-Arai (Ooarai 大洗駅弁) Kagoshima
Isobushi Bento 磯節弁当 "Seashore Lunchbox"


Odawara (Kanagawa)
tai meshi たいめし


Odate (Akita)
大館駅, Oodate eki
Matagi na torimeshi マタギな鶏めし
Chicken with rice like the bear hunters




Okayama 岡山
Momotaro bento　桃太郎
. . . . . Matsurizushi 祭り寿司 Sushi with various toppings
. . . . . おかやま和牛肉弁当 Bento with beef from Okayama with 牛時雨（しぐれ）煮



Orio Kashiwameshi 折尾駅　 かしわめし Kitakyushu


Osaka
Shin-Osaka Tokaido Shinkansen and Tokaido
Hakkaku Bento 八角弁当 with eight corners
Conger eel roll, koya-dofu (freeze-dried bean curd), kelp roll, eggplant cut into pieces, taro and lotus root cooked in mild-tasting Kansai style. No deep-fried food.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !




Shimizu (Shizuoka)
Sakura ebi sushi 桜えびすし
sushi with sakura shrimp


Shimonoseki (Yamaguchi)
gansoo fukumeshi 元祖ふくめし
the original puffer fish with rice


Shizuoka
tai red snapper


Shuzenji (Shizuoka)
Ajizushi no ekiben あじ寿司 駅弁 Horse makerel sushi



Takamatsu (Kagawa)
Anpanman bentoo アンパンマン弁当
. . . CLICK here for Bentoo Photos !
anpan あんパン bread or bun with an (sweet bean paste)



Tateyama 館山 (Chiba)
Kujira bentoo
くじら弁当 Whale meat bento


Tokyo Station 東京駅
Shookadoo Bentoo 松花堂弁当 Shokado Bento


Toyama　(Fukui) 富山
masu no sushi 富山ますのすし Sushi from trout
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


Toyohashi 豊橋 (Mikawa)
Handheld fireworks bento 手筒花火 Tezutsu Hanabi Bento




Wakayama
Kodai suzume sushi, 小鯛雀寿し small sea bream sushi
. . . CLICK here for Photos !



Yatsushiro 八代駅 (Kumamoto)
Ayuya sandai 鮎屋三代 "Third Generation of Sweetfish"
with one whole sweetly simmered ayu fish. Forelle.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !



Yokohama (Kanagawa)
Kiyooken shuumai 崎陽軒 シウマイ
Kiyoken Chinese shumai dumplings


Yokokawa (Gunma)
Tooge no Kamameshi, Toge no kamameshi 駅弁　峠の釜飯
Started in 1958 at 横川駅 as one of the oldest "travelling souvenier bento".
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


Yonago (Tottori)
Gozaemon sushi 米屋吾左衛門寿し Sushi
from sea brass or crabs. with a thick layer of konbu.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


Yonezawa (Yamagata)
gyuuniku domannaka　牛肉どまんなか Beef Domannaka Yonezawa beef and Domannaka rice.

Yonezawa gyuuniku Matsukawa bentoo
米沢牛肉松川弁当
CLICK here for PHOTOS !


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Lately there is a trend toward extra big ekiben:
mega ekiben　メガ駅弁 . 特盛



Special size Shumai Bento from Yokohama, since 2008



oomori ekiben 大盛り駅弁 Large-size ekiben
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


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Worldwide use


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Things found on the way

日本列島駅弁
source : BS JAPAN　駅弁列島

Ekibengaku kooza　駅弁学講座
Hayashi Junshin / Kobayashi Shinobu
ISBN 4087200523

Ekiben History
http://www.ekibento.jp/study-ekibenhistory.htm

Ekiben Museum
http://eki-ben.web.infoseek.co.jp/index.html


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HAIKU


駅弁に掌のひら程の鮭がつき　　
ekiben ni te no hira no shake ga tsuki

station lunch box ...
a piece of salmon
the size of my hand　　　　　　　

Hoshi Reiko 星令子


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ekiben -
my thoughts follow
the rails


a little drama
at every station -
ekiben


Gabi Greve, June 2009


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Related words

***** WASHOKU : General Information

***** WASHOKU : Regional Japanese Dishes

***** WASHOKU
Roadside stations (michi no eki 道の駅) Highway Service Areas


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***** WASHOKU : EKIBEN 駅弁 Station Lunch Boxes


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Yokohama ekiben

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Yokohama Stationlunch
Yokohama Ekiben Station lunchbox
横浜駅弁
. . . CLICK here for Photos !

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shuumai 崎陽軒 シウマイ御弁當
Kiyoken Chinese shumai dumplings

Shiumai Bento Yokohama Station on Tokaido Main Line
steamed Chinese pork dumpling

The Chinses shumai shop Kiyooken 崎陽軒 started in 1859. It is also sold at kiosks arount the city.
On the wrapper it says :

"Although it falls into the ekiben category, shumai is sold at any KIOSK.
Therefore if you are hungry late at night, you can buy one and eat it."


They were one of the first to start a MEGA size ekiben, with 1.5 times the food.

The store Kiyooken 崎陽軒 started to sell it as EKIBEN in 1953. One year later, they already sold more than 4000 per day! In 2008, they sold about 1000000 boxes per day.
Not only shumai, but also maguro steak, bamboo sprouts and other ingredients are packed together with the rice.
http://www.ekibento.jp/kan-yokoha2.htm

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WASHOKU
Chuka Ryori, chuuka ryoori 中華料理 Chinese Food
Chinatown, Chukagai 中華街 in Yokohama, Kobe and Nagasaki


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Yokohama station, Kanagawa prefecture
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


Yokohama town 横浜市　
capital city of Kanagawa Prefecture. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of Tokyo, in the Kantō region of the main island of Honshū. It is a major commercial hub of the Greater Tokyo Area.
Yokohama's population of 3.6 million (2009) makes it Japan's largest incorporated city.

Yokohama developed rapidly as Japan's prominent port city following the end of Japan's relative isolation in the mid-19th century, and is today one of its major ports along with Kobe, Osaka, Nagoya, Hakata, Tokyo, and Chiba.
Yokohama's foreign population of nearly 75,000 includes Chinese, Koreans, Filipinos, and Brazilians.Among the attractions are festivals and events.
©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !


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Worldwide use


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Things found on the way



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HAIKU



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Related words

***** WASHOKU
Ekiben 駅弁 Station Lunch Box

WASHOKU
Regional Japanese Dishes


WASHOKU
Roadside stations (michi no eki 道の駅) Highway Service Areas

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Tateyama ekiben

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Tateyama Stationlunch
TATEYAMA Ekiben Station lunchbox
千葉県館山駅弁

Kujira bentoo
くじら弁当 Whale meat bento



Whale meat has been eaten in the old province of Boso sinc olden times. The owner of the present shop, who makes the bento, has been eating it since childhood and tries to keep the taste "of his mother" for the bento.
The meat is first cooked and the scum taken off carefully, then it is simmered with sugar and soy sauce (Yamatoni, Yamato-ni 大和煮), adding shredded ginger and green shiso leaves to cover the raw taste of fish. Simmer for three hours at least and then let sit over night in the refrigerator.
Soboro "shredded whale meat" is also prepared with a special sauce.
The meat is put on the rice and in the middle a layer of scrambled egg to add some color. For a final touch, some of the sauce is poored over the whale meat.

. . . CLICK here for Photos !



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WASHOKU
more KUJIRA information


WKD ... KIGO
Whales, kujira 鯨



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Tateyama station, CHIBA prefecture
JR 内房線・館山駅 Uchi Boosoo sen Main Line
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
The station building is one of the 100 most beautiful ones in Japan,with its atmosphere of the mediterranean.


Tateyama town 館山　
Chiba prefecture

Tateyama (館山市, Tateyama-shi) is a city located at the southern tip of the Boso Peninsula in Chiba　千葉, Japan. It lies at the mouth of Tokyo Bay, on the more easterly side.
Tateyama is unique and symbolic in Japanese history. Three days after the signing of the surrender papers to end World War II, American troops first set foot on Japanese soil at Tateyama. It marked the first time the nation had been successfully invaded by a foreign power.
©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !


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Worldwide use


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Things found on the way



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HAIKU



*****************************
Related words

***** WASHOKU
Ekiben 駅弁 Station Lunch Box

WASHOKU
Regional Japanese Dishes


WASHOKU
Roadside stations (michi no eki 道の駅) Highway Service Areas

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Shuzenji Ekiben

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Shuzenji Stationlunch
Shuzenji Ekiben Station lunchbox
修善寺 駅弁


Ajizushi no ekiben あじ寿司 駅弁


Since about 10 years the sushi shop Maizushi 舞寿し prepares a certain amout every day, according to the fresh fish from Suruga Bay they can get.
Made by Takeshi Hisako 武士ひさ子, her son and daughter in law.
The fish is marinated in salt for one day, then in a special vinegar mix for another day.


The vendor within the station


Photo : http://ekiben.main.jp


reference ... Shuzenji Hot Spring


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WASHOKU
horse mackerel, aji 鯵


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Shuzenji station, Izu peninsula
Izu-Hakone line ・修善寺駅 , Shizuoka prefecture
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


Shūzenji (修善寺) is a major hot spring town on the Izu Peninsula of Honshu, Japan.
Shuzenji temple has a small museum with some nice artefacts that are related to its founder, Kobo Daishi
In 2007, Shuzenji celebrated the 1200th anniversary of its founding. The original town was built around Shuzen-ji Temple, from which it gains its name. It is a pleasant little town with many hot spring hotels overlooking the river.

Tokko-no-yu. The historic spot where Shuzenji's springs were first discovered by Kobo Daishi. A small public rotenburo (open-air bath) in the middle of the town center — but it's not for bathing your whole body, only your feet!

Hakoyu is a cedar lined public bath built in 2000 by the tourist association. Also has a three story tower that gives a nice view over the roofline of the town.

Shuzenji Bairin is a plum garden park atop Mt. Daruma. In February the tourist association holds a plum blossom festival. It is a 20 minute walk (uphill) from Shuzenji temple.

Shuzenji's numerous gift shops feature fresh wasabi (and all manner of wasabi flavored foods), black rice, and locally made bamboo products such as baskets and kitchen utensils.
©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !
Shuzen-ji　修善寺（しゅぜんじ）

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Worldwide use


*****************************
Things found on the way



*****************************
HAIKU



*****************************
Related words

***** WASHOKU
Ekiben 駅弁 Station Lunch Box

WASHOKU
Regional Japanese Dishes


WASHOKU
Roadside stations (michi no eki 道の駅) Highway Service Areas

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Shimonoseki ekiben

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Shimonoseki Stationlunch
Shimonoseki Ekiben Station lunchbox
下関駅弁

gansoo fukumeshi 元祖ふくめし
the original puffer fish with rice
blowfish with rice and also crab legs
The Japanese reads FUKU, good luck! FUKUMESHI
The kind of fugu used for this bento is on a non-poisonous kind.
fugumeshi


This bento has been prepared for more than 40 years. The present supervisor is doing his job for more than 40 years, starting a busy day at three in the morning! Sometimes they prepare 300 lunchboxes durng busy seasons.

The ekiben contains fugu pieces of deep-fried kara-age, simmered as nimono, marinades with sakekasu and then fried and some soboro minced fish meat. The rice is cooked with a broth from boiling fugu.

The ekiben container has not changed much in design, only the material changed from ceramics to plastic.

This ekiben is sold only in the FUGU season, from October to April.
During the rest of the year, another ekiben with more different types of seafood is sold. Since fugu dose not keep well, in summer it is then served as a piece of sushi in the summer ekiben.


Shimonoseki was an important and busy harbor station between the main island and Kyushu and the globefish of the area was especially delicious.
On March 14, 2009 the last BLUE TRAIN "Hayabusa" and "Fuji", connecting the station directly with Tokyo and Oita/Kyushu or Kumamoto/Kyushu, were stopped because not many people use them any more these days. The kiosk at the platform was shut down after the last ekiben and tea was sold when the last train had left!


Blue Train


At the station restaurant, there is also a noodle soup with fugu blowfish tempura.
fugu tendon ふく天うどん


and a drink called SKAL, sukooru, スコール
乳酸飲料 with milk acid
Skal Water
on a bottle, it reads like this
“Milk based soft drink.
Tender to your mouth. Nicer to your mind.
Skal Water always takes you to the cow-mooing meadow.”




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WASHOKU
fugu ryoori ふぐ料理（ふく料理）dishes with globefish fugu
from Yamaguchi prefecture, Shimonoseki


WKD ... KIGO
Blowfish (fugu, Japan) .. Puffer, Globefish, Swellfish


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rittoru Pusan festa リトル釜山フェスタ Little Pusan Festival


at the

Shimonoseki Green Mall shopping street
guriin mooru Shootengai 下関駅前のグリーンモール商店街
with many stores providing Korean food.


tonchan nabe トンチャン鍋 pork hodgepodge
トンちゃん鍋
pork innards (horumon) are placed in the pot, covered by a lot of seasonal vegetables, then all is simmered till done.
A mixed Korean-Japanese dish popular in the war times, later re-imported to Korea too.

. . . CLICK here for Photos !　


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Shimonoseki station, Yamaguchi prefecture
JR山陽本線・下関駅 Sanyoo Main Line, Sanyo Main Line
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


Shimonoseki town 下関市 　Shimonoseki-shi
a city located in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. It is at the southwestern tip of Honshū, facing the Tsushima Strait and also Kitakyushu across the Kanmon Straits.
The city was founded on April 1, 1889. It is known for fugu, as this is where the largest catch of these fish is taken in Japan each year.

The geographical position of Shimonoseki has given it historical importance, especially with the Bombardment of Shimonoseki in 1864 and the Treaty of Shimonoseki, where a defeated China handed over Taiwan, Penghu, and Port Arthur to the victorious Japanese in 1895. The Heike and Genji fought at Dan-no-ura near the present Kanmonkyo Bridge.

On January 7, 2006, the wooden station building at Shimonoseki station, which had dated back to 1942, was destroyed in a fire, the cause of which is suspected to be arson.

Karato Market
Nagato Market
Green Mall shopping street (Korean Town)

Trains
The main JR Nishi Nihon stations (Sanyō Main Line and San'in Main Line)
Shimonoseki station
Shin-shimonoseki station
Hatabu station
Ozuki station
Kawatana-onsen station
The main JR stations (Sanyō Shinkansen)
Shin-shimonoseki station
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. Senteisai festival 先帝祭 and Antoku Tenno 安徳天皇 　


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HAIKU



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Related words

***** WASHOKU
Ekiben 駅弁 Station Lunch Box

WASHOKU
Regional Japanese Dishes


WASHOKU
Roadside stations (michi no eki 道の駅) Highway Service Areas

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Shimizu ekiben

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Shimizu Stationlunch
Shimizu Ekiben Station lunchbox
清水駅弁


Sakura ebi sushi 桜えびすし
sushi with sakura shrimp



A sushi with the small pink sakura-ebi shrimp.
It comes in a square box with a pink cover, carrying a photo of Mount Fuji.
The sushi rice contains bits of abura-age tofu and lotos roots. Some stripes of yellow omelette (kinshi tamago 錦糸卵 ) are placed on the rice and then a lot of the pink "cherryblossom" shrimp. On the side are some green peas and a bit of ginger.
The shrimp are only about 4-5 cm long and used to come all from the area. Now the catch has drastically decreased.

The young chef who prepares this meal takes great pains to cook the shrimp as a tsukudani and after that dips them again in hot water to make them look more pink and taste better on the rice.
He has taken many hints from his gather who is a famous sushi chef and has his shop right beside the one of his son.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !

There is also an Inarizushi いなりすし ekiben with five pieces at this station.

Overlooked by Mt. Fuji, these pink shrimp are dried on the banks of the rivers along Suruga Bay.
First made for the trains Inari いなり and the faster NOZOMI by the high quality sushi shop Inariya Suehiro Sushi いなりや 末廣鮨. Now in the second generation of the chef.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !



The port of Shimizu Minato is famous for the legendary
Shimizu Jirochoo 清水次郎長.

Daruma Museum
Jirochoo and Ishimatsu 次郎長だるま . 石松だるま



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Yui no takarabune 由比の宝舟 "treasure ship" from Yui village
This is made to order from Shimizu Yoshinobu 清水義信 of Fujieda town.
It is a simple boat made from wood, a miniature of the local fishing boats. The biggest are 1 meter long, the smallest ones just the size of the palm of a hand.

This kind of "auspicious boat" was first made as a miniature of the boats fishing for sakuraebi 桜えび　shrimp in Shizuoka, by Takahashi Ichitaro 高橋市太郎, the grandfather of Yoshinobu.

. Takarabune with the seven gods of good luck .
宝船と七福神



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WKD ... KIGO

WASHOKU
Sakuraebi, sakura ebi, sakura-ebi 桜蝦 (さくらえび)
"cherryblossom shrimp", stardust shrimp

Spring at the beach (haru no umi)
and related kigo


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Shimizu station, Shizuoka prefecture
JR 東海道本線・清水駅 Tokaido Main Line
Shimizu station opened in 1889, February 1.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


Shimizu town 　

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kigo for all spring
cherryblossom shrimp, sakura ebi
さくらえび,桜蝦, 桜えび

This is a speciality of the Suruga Bay, Sagami Bay and a few others, where they are fished and dried on the shores, with Mt. Fuji in the background, as you can see in the photo above.
They are eaten in many ways, tempura is one of them. Eating them brings the pleasant feeling of spring, even in winter.

. Spring at the beach (haru no umi) .

Yui harbour is the most famous for these shrimp.
由比港
The have developed a way of eating them "alive", as a kind of


odorigui 踊り食い to eat "dancing" shrimp

and another new try is a kind of donut with sakuraebi shrimp filling.

The mascot of the town is



Sakurayui さくらゆい


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Related words

***** WASHOKU
Ekiben 駅弁 Station Lunch Box

WASHOKU
Regional Japanese Dishes


WASHOKU
Roadside stations (michi no eki 道の駅) Highway Service Areas

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Shokado Bento Kyoto

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Shokado Bento (Shookadoo bentoo)

***** Location: Japan
***** Season: Topic
***** Category: Humanity

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Explanation

松花堂弁当（しょうかどうべんとう）
Pine Flower Pavillion


Shokado bento, Shokado-style box lunch, is a famous bento that originated in Kyoto.
It is served in a square box, separaded into four compartments like the Chinese character for FIELD 田 and covered by a lid with long edges.
Ingredients fresh of the season are packed in small containers in each square, and even hot rice can be put in there. It is a very sophisticated bento and is a bit similar to Makunouchi Bento 幕の内弁当 eaten between the acts of long Kabuki performances.

But Shokado Bento developed from the Kaiseki Cuisine of Kyoto.
During the Edo period there lived a famous Shinto-Shingon Buddhist priest, calligrapher and tea master, Shokado Shojo 松花堂昭乗 Shookadoo Shoojoo（1584 - 1639）lived in a temple near the mountain Otokoyama, near Iwashimizu Yahata Gu 石清水八幡宮. His real name was Nakanuma Shikibu.

His calligraphy was so famous he was called "one of the three great calligraphers of the Kanei-Period (kanei no sanpitsu 「寛永の三筆)".
(The other calligraphers were Konoe Nobutada 1565 - 1614 近衛信尹 and Honami Koetsu 1558 - 1637 本阿弥光悦.

He used square boxes with compartments which are normally used by local farmers to keep his calligraphy tools and tobacco tools. When he retired from his temple duties, he lived in a hut near Takimoto-bo Temple and often invited his learned friends of the time in his tea house, called Shokado (Pine Flower Temple).


After the Meiji restauration his home was sold and the temples relocated to Ominaeshi in Yahata, where it is now.
The tea house is an important cultural property of the city of Kyoto.
Now you can enjoy the famous bento in the restaurant Kitcho 吉兆松花堂店 in the garden grounds.
. . . CLICK here for Photos of the tea house and park !


But how came this square box of Shokado
to be used for a bento lunchbox?

The story is moved fast-forward to the year 1933 when Yuki Teiichi (tei-ichi) 湯木貞一, a tea conoisseur of his time, was invited to Shokado and saw the box of Shokado on a shelf on his way out after an invitation. He immediately got the hint to use such a kind of divided box for an official meal for kaiseki to be served in a new restaurant called Kicho 吉兆.

Now Mr. Tokuoka is head of the Arashiyama Kitcho. Kyoto Kitcho was founded in 1931.
There are 21 branches of Kitcho in Japan, mostly run by the relatives of Yuki, serving the best of seasonal food dishes.



Since the food is separated its smell does not intermingle and each dish can be enjoyed on its own. Even hot rice is served in one compartment.



Sen no Rikyu 千 利休, another famous tea master at the times of Shokado, used to serve his meals in a box in the form of a half-moon (hangetsu 半月).


. Sen Rikyuu, Sen Rikyū 千利休 Tea Master Sen Rikyu 　 .



Even the bent wooden bento boxes come in four compartments
曲げわっぱ弁当箱 松花堂 magewappa


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Lunch in these boxes is now served in many other restaurants in Japan.

There is even a station lunch, ekiben
Tokyo Station 東京駅 sells a ... 松花堂弁当




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Kichoan Shokado Tea House
43, Yawata Ominaeshi, Yawata, Kyoto 614-8077 JAPAN
In the park of Shokado, in memory of Shokado Shojo. There a special bento is served. Shokado bento, inspired by the partitioned paintboxes that Shokado Shojo, a monk and painter of the early Edo period, used regularly. The food that goes inside these boxes varies according to the season and the occasion, but the food is always beautiful to look at as well as delicious to taste.
source : kansaida/yawata/yawata02-e.html



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Memorial mound for ladies, onnazuka

Shokado Park 松花堂庭園 is a famous place for elegant haiku meetings.
There is a memorial mound for ladies 女塚 and one for the menfolk 男塚.

梅しろく薄日こぼれる女塚
ume shiroku usubi koboreru onna zuka

white plum blossoms -
a soft sunshine falls
on the memorial mound


Nishiwaki Kazue 西脇一江
source : nisiura/haiku



The ominaeshi flowers (Patrinia Scabiosaefolia おみなえし【女郎花】) are especially famous in this area.

yellow flowered valerian, ominaeshi : KIGO


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Related words

MORE
KITCHO-AN restaurants and tea houses


***** WASHOKU
Ekiben 駅弁 Station Lunch Box


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Oarai Ekiben

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Oarai (Ooarai) Stationlunch
TOWNNAME Ekiben Station lunchbox
大洗駅弁


Isobushi Bento 磯節弁当 "Seashore Lunchbox"

This is really a rather beautiful bento, trying to paint a picture of the coastline of Oarai.


© PHOTO :　www.bs-j.co.jp/ekiben

The rice is cooked in broth to make it taste like the sea. It is also cooked with seaweed to give extra taste of the seashore. The rice is placed in a special box made of flexible bamboo sudare. The food is placed on the rice to represent the coastline, with rocks and seaweed. One sazae shell and one piece of octopus is also placed on the rice.
All the vegetables and ingredients come from the local market.

The bento is made by a couple who also make other types of bento.

"Isobushi" is the name of an old folksong of Oarai Town.



. . . CLICK here for Photos !






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WKD ... KIGO
Beach and related kigo


Oarai. Kuroiwa くろいわ
Kagoshima Ramen 大洗　鹿児島ラーメン
. . . CLICK here for Photos !



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Oarai 大洗駅 Kagoshima prefecture
鹿島臨海鉄道大洗鹿島線・Kagoshima Rinkai Tetsudo Oarai
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


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HAIKU



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Related words

***** WASHOKU
Ekiben 駅弁 Station Lunch Box

WASHOKU
Regional Japanese Dishes


WASHOKU
Roadside stations (michi no eki 道の駅) Highway Service Areas

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Orio ekiben

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Orio Stationlunch
ORIO Ekiben Station lunchbox
折尾駅　


Kashiwameshi (minced chicken meat on rice)
かしわめし



The meat is cooked for a long time in a special sauce, the rice is cooked in a flavored soce with special ingredients, some are the strict secret of the company, which prepares more than 1000 every day.
The rice is covered with minced chicken meat, finely cut "golden threads of egg" (kinshi tamago　錦糸玉子) and seaweed. Some pickles are added at one side.

. . . CLICK here for Photos !


This bento started selling in 1921, it was the first Japanese station lunch to serve local chicken meat. One box was 30 sen at that time.
かしわ飯




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quote
The singing bento vendor of Kitakyushu
Shoichi Nasu

Platform vendor Kazutoshi Yamaguchi poses with his ekiben boxed meals on the platform of JR Orio Station in Kitakyushu.


Photo by Shoichi Nasu

If you happen to get on or off at Platform No. 5 of Orio Station in Kitakyushu, you can buy an ekiben from a platform vendor named Kazutoshi Yamaguchi. Yamaguchi-san is one of the nation's very few remaining ekiben vendors. Wearing the uniform of the Tochikuken company, which specializes in making boxed meals in Fukuoka Prefecture, and a bow tie and a cap, he smiles broadly to would-be-customers on the platform.
He started working at his ekiben vending job at the station in 1996, finding the position through a public employment center. He had lost his previous job when the company closed.

At first, he found it hard to raise his voice in front of passengers. He used to walk to a park near his home at night to practice, shouting, "Bento, Kashiwa-meshi!" (Box lunch, minced chicken rice). Kashiwameshi is a well-known local dish in the area, and the Kashiwameshi bento comes in three different prices: 650 yen, 750 yen and 1,000 yen.

Eventually, he was able to overcome his shyness and shout out to attract customers. Now he goes even further, and has composed an 18-verse song about Kashiwameshi. The first verse goes, "Bento, bento, bento, Kashiwameshi. Orio's specialty, made with affection. The most delicious."

On his business card is printed the fifth verse of the song: "Bento, bento, bento, Kashiwameshi, Kagoshima Line, Platform No. 5. If a train door opens, you hear a vendor's voice." If passengers wish to hear the song, Yamaguchi sings several verses for them on the platform.

According to him, on weekdays the Kashiwameshi bento priced at 650 yen sells well, while on weekends the one for 1,000 yen is more popular. "As there are very few of us nowadays, people, mostly elderly people, I suppose, feel nostalgic for ekiben vendors. They come and buy ekiben from me, taking the train even from far-away areas," Yamaguchi told me.

Gone are the days when there were a lot of bento vendors. When the neighboring Chikuho area in Fukuoka Prefecture was prosperous due to coal mining in the pre- and post-World War II era--a driving force of Japan's economy at the time--Orio Station had a number of bento vendors. Now Yamaguchi is the only one.
source : www.yomiuri.co.jp, April 2008


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WASHOKU
Jidori 地鳥 (じどり ) Local Chicken


WKD ... KIGO
Tori awase 鶏合 (とりあわせ) Ritual Cock Fighting


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Orio Eki station, 折尾駅 prefecture
鹿児島本線折尾（おりお）駅 Kagoshima Honsen Main Line

The station building is quite old and retro with its pink facade.

. . . CLICK here for Photos !



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HAIKU



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Related words

***** WASHOKU
Ekiben 駅弁 Station Lunch Box

WASHOKU
Regional Japanese Dishes


WASHOKU
Roadside stations (michi no eki 道の駅) Highway Service Areas

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Miyajima Ekiben Anago

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Miyajima Stationlunch
Miyamima Ekiben Station lunchbox
宮島駅弁
宮島うえのの穴子飯 Miyajima Ueno no Anagomeshi

Anagomeshi あなごめし
穴子飯弁当

Anago sea eel is a speciality from this area.
Congriscus megastomus, Meeraal, conger eel, salt-water eel
But even this eel is getting less and less in the waters off Miyajima.



It has been sold for many years, now the maker is in the 13th generation!
UENO is the name of the maker, who is now in the 4th generation, Ueno Junichi 上野純一.
When he found the many old wrappers from the time of his grandfather, he decided to make the bento again.

During the war, when there was not enough rice, they served in on bread.
The present Ueno san learned the taste of this bento from his mother. The rice is cooked with a special broth of the simmered anago. There is only a layer of fish on the cooked rice and just a few pieces of vegetables in a corner.

. . . CLICK here for Photos !

The bento box is still made from real wood. In this way, the hot rice can loose some of its water through the bottom of the box and gets more tasty.
In the kitchen, there is only room for cooking rice for 20 bento, then a new load must be cooked. 20 minutes is just the time the helpers need to get the rice out of the pot and into the bento boxes, to keep the good taste.



There used to be many trains stopping at the station, but with the event of the Shinkansen, the line is rather quiet and the business quite difficult.

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WASHOKU
Dishes from Hiroshima Prefecture

WASHOKU : Eel dishes (unagi) Japan. Some are kigo

Ehomaki 恵方巻き Sushi Roll (ehoomaki)for Setsubun

Yahata-maki やはたまき (八幡巻き) anago roll
Speciality of Yahata, Kyoto


WKD ... KIGO

kigo for all summer
anago 穴子 (あなご) sea eel, conger eel
..... 海鰻（あなご）
anagotsuri あなご釣（あなごつり）fishing for anago
maanago, ma-anago真穴子（まあなご）
hakarime はかりめ

anagonabe あなご鍋（あなごなべ）hodgepot with anago
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


anago is most often simmered to put on sushi or deep-fried as tempura.


アナゴ寿司 Anago sushi 穴子寿司


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Miyajima station, Hiroshima prefecture
JR西日本・宮島駅 Main Line
. . . CLICK here for Photos !

quote
The island of Itsukushima, in the Seto inland sea, has been a holy place of Shintoism since the earliest times. The first shrine buildings here were probably erected in the 6th century. The present shrine dates from the 12th century and the harmoniously arranged buildings reveal great artistic and technical skill. The shrine plays on the contrasts in colour and form between mountains and sea and illustrates the Japanese concept of scenic beauty, which combines nature and human creativity.
whc.unesco . Itsukushima Shinto Shrine



Miyajima town 宮島 　

Itsukushima (厳島) is an island in the Inland Sea of Japan.
It is popularly known as Miyajima (宮島), the Shrine Island.
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The great rice paddle shamoji in Miyajima 宮島しゃもじ
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


The White Horse of the Gods at Miyajima 宮島白馬



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HAIKU


うまい味あなご焼かれて夏の膳
umai aji anago yakarete natsu no zen

delicious taste -
a conger eeal grilled
for a summer lunch

Matsui Shinzoo 　松井信三



. Itsukushima Shrine and Kigo 厳島神社


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Related words


eel, unagi, 鰻、うなぎ, Aal KIGO


***** WASHOKU
Ekiben 駅弁 Station Lunch Box

WASHOKU
Regional Japanese Dishes


WASHOKU
Roadside stations (michi no eki 道の駅) Highway Service Areas

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