This year marks the 60th edition of the Original Famous Ekiben and National Good Food Contest. Although the need to eat ekiben on board trains is decreasing due to the development of transport networks and advances in railway technology, a wide variety of ekiben rooted in the culinary culture of different regions is now attracting attention, and the ways in which people enjoy ekiben are diversifying, from enjoying them as local delicacies while travelling to collecting them in their containers.

At the event, 47 ekiben producers will demonstrate their products. In total, about 350 types of ekiben will be on display, both for demonstration and for transport.

Luxurious seafood stacked with Echizen sweet prawns and salmon roe (Fukui Station)
A luxurious six-layer combination of sweet prawns from Fukui Prefecture with a strong sweetness and melt-in-the-mouth texture, local mackerel marinated in a special soy sauce, salmon roe and snow crab.

Hitachi-gyu Three-Flavour Mille-Feuille Bento (Mito Station)
This bento is packed with the delights of Hitachi-gyu beef, with a sweet sauce seasoned with soboro, sukiyaki of Hitachi-gyu beef served with white rice and a sumptuous steak of Hitachi-gyu beef on top.

Scallop Hanabushi Seafood Mille-Feuille Bento (Asahikawa Station)
This bento is topped with a generous portion of Hokkaido scallops, which look like flower petals for a beautiful appearance. A total of eight types of seafood, including sea urchin, salmon roe, snow crab and tuna tataki, can be enjoyed in one sumptuous meal.

Kagoshima Kurobuta Seared Grilled Pork Ramen and Mamanai Kakuni Rice (Izumi Station)
Shoeiken is a popular producer of ekiben (station bento box lunches) using Kagoshima Kurobuta pork and Kuroge Wagyu beef. The set includes tonkotsu (pork bone) ramen topped with Kagoshima Kurobuta pork chashu, which is a perfect match for the restaurant’s kakuni-meshi.

Hitachiniku Gyu Beef Bento and Anko Miso Ramen Lunchbox (Mito Station)
The popular ekiben ‘Hitachiniku Gyuu Gyuben’ and ramen noodles topped with smooth, thick ankou (redfish liver) and ankou (redfish) stew can be enjoyed together.

Ekimen Yoshiyama Shoten x Gishoku Chitose (New Chitose Airport Station)
A collaboration between Yoshiyama Shoten, a popular miso ramen shop in Sapporo, Hokkaido, and Bishoku Chitose, which sells lunch boxes at Minami Chitose Station and New Chitose Airport. The lunch boxes contain Sapporo oil noodles and konameshi under the supervision of Yoshiyama Shoten.