[Iwate Prefecture] Ekiben from 6 prefectures in Tohoku! Introducing the top 5 recommended ekiben in Iwate Prefecture

Whether you're on a local train that stops at every station or a scenic Shinkansen, a delicious ekiben is essential for any train journey.

A variety of ekiben are introduced in travel reports and blogs, and events are often held that collect ekiben from various regions, making them great souvenirs.

When you travel to Iwate Prefecture, you can enjoy seafood from the Sanriku coast, food from the mountains inland, and delicious rice produced in the prefecture, and there are many ekiben that take advantage of the flavors of those ingredients.

What is Ekiben?

There is no specific definition, but if you think about it simply, I think it means ``lunch boxes sold at stations and eaten while boarding the train.''

Ekiben, enjoyed while enjoying the scenery outside the train window, tastes so delicious even when it's cold.

These days, a variety of bento boxes are sold not only inside stations but also around stations, but here we introduce the bento boxes that can be purchased at ekiben shops and kiosks inside stations as ``ekiben.''

Please note that the Ekiben prices listed are tax-inclusive prices as of December 2022.

Top 5 recommended ekiben in Iwate Prefecture!

In Iwate Prefecture, there is no ekiben manufacturer in Morioka City, the prefectural capital, and the ekiben at Morioka Station is mainly from Saito Shogetsudo in Ichinoseki City, but bentos from other regions are also sold depending on the season.

Sea urchin bento (1,670 yen: Sanriku Rias-tei)

This is a popular ekiben that can only be purchased at Sanriku Rias-tei inside Sanriku Railway Kuji Station, and is difficult to obtain as it is limited to 20 pieces per day.

The steamed sea urchin is spread so tightly that you can't see the rice, and the texture is different from raw sea urchin, and you can feel the sweetness of the sea urchin.

In 2013, it appeared as "Natsubappa no Unidon" in the NHK drama series "Ama-chan" and was handmade by the proprietress and his wife of Sanriku Rias-tei, which served as the model for "Bappa", so there is a limit of 20 meals a day. about it.

Reservations are required for purchase, but reservation slots often run out quickly, in which case you should be prepared to line up before the store opens at 7am.

INFORMATION

• Facility name: Sanriku Rias-tei
• Address: Sanriku Railway Kuji Station, 3-38-2 Chuo, Kuji City, Iwate Prefecture
• Phone number: 0194-52-7280
• URL: Sanriku Travel Guide - Iwate Sanriku Tourist Guide

GOOGLE MAP

Maezawa beef roast beef nigiri sushi (1,350 yen Saito Shogetsudo)

Roast beef nigiri sushi made with Maezawa beef, famous as the pioneer of A5 rank beef from Iwate Prefecture.

Pour the soy sauce that goes well with roast beef on your cheeks and the flavor of Maezawa beef will fill your mouth.

Of course, the rice used is Hitomebore from Iwate Prefecture, and it comes in 5 pieces, 4 pieces with wasabi as an accent and 1 piece wrapped in seaweed.

Hiraizumi sea urchin rice (1,600 yen: Saito Shogetsudo)

Steamed sea urchin that has been simmered in a special soy sauce-based soup stock to enhance its flavor, bubble-filled salmon roe, crunchy stems of wakame seaweed and mountain burdock pickled in soy sauce, and fluffy tamago are generously placed on top of the tea rice.

This ekiben, where you can enjoy the harmony of textures of various Sanriku seafood, is a popular ekiben that always ranks among the top sellers at ekiben events in Tokyo and other places.

Chicken dance (delicious) bento (980 yen: Saito Shogetsudo)

The popular ekiben, which was sold under the name of Ichinoseki's traditional performing art "Kori-mai" until around 1990, was reprinted in 2017 to commemorate the 35th anniversary of the opening of the Tohoku Shinkansen.

It has plenty of thick and chewy chicken teriyaki, and is accented with flavorful stewed bamboo shoots, shiitake mushrooms, and kinshi tamago, as well as fried perilla miso rolls, bamboo kamaboko, wild vegetables, and pickles. It's a side dish.

This ekiben goes perfectly with tea rice made with hitomebore from Iwate prefecture cooked in chicken stock and these side dishes.

Morioka Jajamen and beef rice bento (1,500 yen: Saito Shogetsudo)

On November 1, 2022, Iwate Prefecture's first ekiben boxed lunch using a heating container that allows you to enjoy Morioka's specialty ``Jajamen'' has been released.

The package is divided into two parts, and you can enjoy thick noodles with ``jajamen''-style meat miso and stewed beef rice.

The sweet and spicy meat miso and chewy thick noodles are well-received locally as having the perfect ``Jajamen'' atmosphere.

It's a shame that you can't enjoy the cheetang tang (boiled soup) soup at the end of your bento, but the volume of beef rice makes it a satisfying ekiben.

INFORMATION

• Facility name: Saito Shogetsudo
• Address: 2-37 Kamiotsuki Street, Ichinoseki City, Iwate Prefecture
• Phone number: 0191-26-3000
• URL: Saito Shogetsudo official website

GOOGLE MAP

Here are the stations where you can buy ekiben in Iwate Prefecture!

JR sells ekiben at the following stations connected to the Shinkansen and conventional lines (Ninohe Station is IGR Galaxy Railway), as well as at Kuji Station on the Sanriku Railway.

I have also added the sales locations at each station.

Morioka Station (Ekiben kiosks are available inside the Shinkansen ticket gate and outside the north ticket gate)

We mainly sell ekiben from Saito Shogetsudo.

Bento boxes are also sold on the 1st floor and basement of Fezan in the station building.

INFORMATION

• Facility name: Fezan
• Address: 1-44 Morioka Ekimae-dori, Morioka City, Iwate Prefecture
• Phone number: 019-654-1188
• URL: Morioka Station Building Fezan Official Website

GOOGLE MAP

Ichinoseki Station (There is an ekiben shop at the Shinkansen transfer gate and inside the station building)

We mainly sell ekiben from local Saito Shogetsudo.

Shin-Hanamaki Station (sold at the shop in front of the ticket gate)

In addition to Saito Shogetsudo, the following ekiben manufactured by Kudo Foods in Kamaishi City are on sale.

• Ihatov Gomoku Okowa bento: Makunouchi bento with soy sauce-flavored rice, grilled pork with ginger, and tempura
• Ihatobu Kintoki Sekihan Bento: Makunouchi Bento of Hokkaido red kidney beans and sticky rice sekihan
• Galaxy Railway Scallop Okowa Bento: Seafood Okowa where you can enjoy the flavor of scallops

INFORMATION

• Facility name: Kudo Foods Ltd.
• Address: 3-15-35 Sadanaimachi, Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture
• Phone number: 0193-23-5385
• URL: Kamaishi Chamber of Commerce and Industry official website

GOOGLE MAP

Ninohe Station (sold at the shop in front of the ticket gate)

Ekiben from Saito Shogetsudo and Shin-Aomori Station are sometimes sold, as well as the following ekiben supplied by Ofukuro-tei in Ninohe City.

• Ginga no Megumi-chan bento: Contains 9 types of locally produced and locally consumed dishes such as grains and buckwheat noodles.
• Iwate Tankaku Wagyu Shigureni Bento: Lean Tankaku Wagyu Shigureni bento is delicious the more you bite into it.
• Sasuke pork katsuju: Ninohe specialty Sangenton (Sasuke pork) loin cutlet and prefecture eggs seasoned with soup stock.

INFORMATION

• Facility name: Ofukurotei Deli Center
• Address: 19-4 Yahatashita, Fukuoka, Ninohe City, Iwate Prefecture
• Phone number: 0800-800-3457
• URL: Ofukuro-tei official website

GOOGLE MAP

Kuji Station (sold at "Sanriku Rias-tei" inside the Sanriku Railway station building)

At Kuji Station, the Sanriku Railway and JR station buildings are next to each other, but "Sanriku Rias-tei" is located inside the Sanriku Railway station building (please refer to the "Uni Bento" map above).

summary

Unfortunately, as of December 2022, there is no bento that can be called Morioka's ekiben, but on November 1st, Saito Shogetsudo in Ichinoseki City sold an ekiben featuring Morioka's specialty ``Jajamen''.

I hope it becomes popular enough to be recognized as Morioka's local ekiben.