Award-Winning Boxed Lunches from Japan’s Railway Bentō Grand Prix

Choosing the Ekiben Shōgun

When the Japan East Railway Company launched its railway bentō, or ekiben, grand prix in 2012, it focused on boxed lunches from the Tōhoku, Kantō, and Kōshin’etsu regions served by the firm. Now in its twelfth year, the Ekiben Aji no Jin competition draws entries from as far away as Hokkaidō in the north and Kagoshima in the south. Of the 59 railroad lunches entered in the 2023 contest, 10 came from outside the JR East area. An online poll was held in October and November 2023 to decide the winner, with 11,000 votes being cast.

The winner, crowned “Ekiben Daishōgun,” was decided based on the highest overall online votes in three categories of “taste,” “presentation,” and “wrapping.” Evaluation was done on a four-point scale, after which the averages were used to calculate the scores, taking into account the votes for each box lunch.

The title winning ekiben for 2023 was from Ōdate in Akita Prefecture. Produced by bentō maker Hanazen, the boxed lunch features chicken and rice as its main offerings. It was named for Hachikō to commemorate the hundredth anniversary of the loyal dog’s birth in that city as well as to mark the opening of the new Ōdate Station building on the Ōu Main Line. Hanazen reworked its signature torimeshi bentō, bringing together ingredients representative of Ōdate, including the local hinai-jidori breed of chicken and a smoked version of pickled daikon radish called iburigakko. It was Hanazen’s third triumph in the competition, having previously won the award in 2015 and 2016.

Ekiben Daishōgun Grand Prix winner: Chūken hachikō no furusato Ōdate torimeshi (¥1,350). Available at convenience store chain NewDays at Ōdate and Aomori Stations. (Courtesy of JR East)

Second prize went to Shinkineya of Yonezawa, Yamagata Prefecture. The winning bentō was a curry-flavored version of Shinkineya’s beef-centered boxed lunch that won the very first ekiben competition in 2012. The bentō was praised for its delicate balance of gyū-soboro (ground beef simmered in tare sauce) and sautéed beef seasoned with curry arranged atop a bed of Domannaka-branded rice from Yamagata.

Ekiben Fukushōgun Second Prize winner: Gyūniku domannaka karē aji (¥1,350). Available at bentō shops Ekiben Matsuri Gransta and Ekiben Odori Gransta inside Tokyo Station and Ekiben Matsuri at Sendai Station. (Courtesy of JR East)

The Taste Award was claimed by Iidayaken’s box lunch Ōito-sen no tabi. This ekiben from Matsumoto, Nagano Prefecture, is based on the theme of health and longevity in honor of Matsukawa, a village on the Ōito Line boasting the longest life expectancy for men in Japan. It features local ingredients simmered in dashi. The contents, made without artificial additives, are decoratively arranged in a bentō box styled like bamboo bark.

Taste Award: Ōito sen no tabi (¥1,350). Available at bentō shop Shinano no Kaze Ekiben Azusa at Matsumoto Station. (Courtesy of JR East)

The Presentation Award went to the beef bentō Hitachi-gyū gyūben produced by Shimada Foods in Mito, Ibaraki Prefecture. It features certified Kuroge Wagyū (Japanese Black ) flavored with a sweet teriyaki-style sauce and garnished with boiled egg and kōya-dōfu ( freeze-dried tōfu) wrapped in a delicate sheet of yuba.

Presentation Award: Hitachi-gyū gyūben (¥1,250). Available at Ekiben Matsuri Gransta at Tokyo Station and NewDays at Mito and Katsuta Stations. (Courtesy of JR East)

The Wrapping Award was claimed by Echigo Nagaoka kisaku bentō produced by Ikedaya in Nagaoka, Niigata Prefecture. This classic-styled boxed lunch showcases the Koshihikari variety of rice grown in Nagaoka. The main side dishes are Kagura nanban chicken meatballs, Nagaoka kuroinari (deep-fried tōfu stuffed with sushi rice), eggplant, and ginger pickled in miso from a pickle store founded in 1831.

Wrapping Award: Echigo Nagaoka kisaku bentō (¥1,280). Available at the bentō shop on the Tokyo-bound Jōetsu Shinkansen platform at Nagaoka Station. (Courtesy of JR East)

The ekiben that garnered the most mentions was Chikin bentō from the company JR East Cross Station. A long-time favorite since debuting in 1964, it features karaage and tomato-flavored rice.

Most Entries Award: Chikin bentō (¥900). Available at Ekibenya Matsuri Gransta at Tokyo Station, Ekibenya Umaimon Ecute at Ōmiya Station, and Ekibenya Itadaki at Shinjuku Station. (Courtesy of JR East)

The newcomer award was given to Tsukimi no kamameshi produced by Oginoya in Annaka, Gunma Prefecture. Oginoya is known for its signature railway bentō Tōge no kamameshi, which features Koshihikari rice cooked in a Mashikoyaki earthenware pot and topped with various succulent ingredients. The shop created its tsukimi bentō exclusively for the competition. Meaning “moon viewing,” a popular autumn activity, the ekiben features seasonal ingredients like steamed and simmered mushrooms, eggplant, and pumpkin that have been arranged on a bed of rice mixed with mushrooms. A seasoned egg yolk representing the moon completes the arrangement.

Uijin-shō Newcomer Award: Tsukimi no kamameshi (¥1,800). (Courtesy of JR East)

Below is a list of other award-winning ekiben.

Regional Awards

• Northern Tōhoku: Aomori no zeitaku bentō (¥1,550) produced by Misawaya, Aomori Prefecture
• Southern Tōhoku: Fukushimaji Otona no Akigohan (¥1,100) produced by Fukumameya, Fukushima Prefecture
• Kōshin’etsu: Kōshū Wine Hamburg Bentō (¥1,500) produced by Marumasa, Yamanashi Prefecture
• Northern Kantō: Mibu no sabi kan (¥1,000) produced by Matsunoya, Tochigi Prefecture
• Southern Kantō: O-sekihan bentō (¥1,050) produced by Kiyōken, Kanagawa Prefecture

Ekibenya Matsuri Special Award

Honorable mentions were given to Hiroshima kaki zukushi (¥1,380), an oyster-based bentō produced by Hiroshima Ekibentō in Hiroshima Prefecture, and Zuwai-kani kaizen gozen (¥1,380), an ekiben featuring snow crab and other seafood produced by Asahikawa Station Tachiuri Shōkai in Hokkaidō Prefecture.

The award-winning ekiben will be on sale at Ekibenya Matsuri Gransta Tokyo Branch in Tokyo Station for a limited time. (Courtesy of JR East)

(Originally published in Japanese. Banner photo: The winning railway bentōs in the 2023 Ekiben Aji no Jin Grand Prix event organized by JR East. Winner Chūken hachikō no furusato Ōdate torimeshi (left) by Hanazen and second-place Gyūniku domannaka karē aji by Shinkineya. Text by Nippon.com. Photos courtesy of JR East.)