EKIBEN JAPAN (2024)

Sakurajima, an active volcano in southern Japan. Surprisingly, there is a technique called “Haiboshi” that maximizes the flavor of seasonal fish using its volcanic ash. Let's explore the phantom technique that was once lost.

At Bokoi Station in Hokkaido Prefecture, a family trio makes just 40 ekiben per day. The surf clam called hokkigai, a regional comfort food, is locally sourced, along with the kombu and even the salt.

On the scenic Izu Peninsula, there's a bento made with local horse mackerel, rice, wasabi and salted cherry leaves. Discover an ekiben of nature's bounty and heartfelt artistry.

A bento from Akashi, Hyogo Prefecture features a local octopus specialty. The container of this unique bento is also interesting as they're shaped the same as the pots used in traditional octopus fishing.

Shimane Prefecture's miso-stewed beef bento features beef simmered in naturally fermented miso and soy sauce with cooking sake, highlighting the Izumo region's koji culture. It pairs well with the quality rice!

In Nagaoka, there's an ekiben shaped by layers of tradition, featuring chicken meatballs with local chili, 100-year-old abura-age, thrice-pickled eggplants in miso and more, each with their own story.

This curry rice bento, made with local spices and beef, comes in Arita porcelain ware, a 400-year-old art treasured by royalty. Its rich heritage is sure to enhance your travel memories.

Tottori's shiitake bento features thick, sweet, wood-grown mushrooms. The rice, seasoned with Japanese pepper, pairs perfectly with the deep flavor of the shiitake enhanced by special local soy sauce!

This ekiben from Kamogawa in southern Chiba features sanga-yaki, made from minced fish, and is packed with regional flavors like thick, tender Boshu hijiki and the long-prized Nagasa-mai rice.

In April, as cherry blossoms bloom in Aomori, the Sakura Bento goes on sale along the Tsugaru Railway, filled with spring flavors like local scallops, tender kombu, and miso with a wild spring plant.

The Volcano Bento uses only local ingredients, grown in the Shimabara Peninsula's soil shaped by Mt. Unzen's eruptions. It's a heartfelt bento from locals who know the volcano's dangers and gifts.

Noto's nature was scarred in the 2024 earthquake, yet the abalone bento still celebrates the peninsula's premium shellfish, enhanced with local salt.

The carefully made Kareigawa Bento, featuring local Kagoshima cuisine, is sold at a wooden train station more than 120 years old, which tells the story of people brought together by the ekiben.

An ekiben with specialty yuzu from Umaji Village is available beside a tourist railway in Kochi. Yuzu once saved the village from extinction. This is the story of people behind yuzu fragrant ekiben.

An ekiben from Hokkaido's Hidaka region uses kombu and shellfish. It's a bento filled with the bounty of the sea nurtured by northern fishermen.