It's summer vacation! Which regions do you want to explore? Whatever your destination, Shinkansen bullet trains take you north, east and west. TOKYO STATION is the hub for all passengers taking Shinkansen, and is also the hub for the lunch boxes that accompany their journey.
Ekiben-ya Matsuri is the largest lunch box shop in Tokyo station. Over 200 varieties are stocked on the shelves day and night. Their range is extensive, from meat to seafood, with traditional Makunouchi assorted lunch boxes in the centre. Dozens of boxes are brought in every hour, then sell out quickly. Which means, whenever you visit, you are either lucky to encounter your favourite or lucky to find your new favourite.
Salmon is everyone's favourite and stacked baked salmon belly and salmon roe is a dream box delivered from Aomori Pref.
So is Wagyu beef. The combination of diced beef steak and Sukiyaki style beef slices produced in Yamagata Pref gets you pretty excited.
Find it fiddly to pick up small ingredients with chopsticks? Why not select pressed Oshi sushi? Sushi rice is more firmly pressed than Nigiri sushi, so as not to crumble easily when picked up. Fillet of baked mackerel on the rice is so juicy in meat and rich in taste. Or ENGAWA (Flatfish fin) slices, instead. Yes, that's MY FAVOURITE!
Lighter meals can also be purchased at every shop in and out of the station. A deli shop on the first floor sells salmon cutlet sandwiches, very easy to handle. Before entering the ticketing hall, you can find Kimbap rice rolls at Hanbije Korean restaurant. Caution! You’ll notice something spicy in them, I'm not sure exactly, though.
Have you already had a good lunch at Marunouchi building? Even so, why not bring some snacks on the train. You can get a chicken skewers box, the same one that is popular at Kokugikan Sumo wrestling stadium. A treasure trove of foods is lined up along the underground shopping mall, of which Karaage fried chicken or fried fish pastes are the best sellers for beer lovers.
Grab a can or beer or a bottle of tea at the last minute, then get on your train. Shinkansen goes and stops very smoothly, so you can open your box anytime you want during a two-hour ride to Kyoto, Kanazawa or wherever.
After you have emptied the lunch box, one more thing to recommend. Don't miss out on purchasing an ice cream from the trolley. It's a much-loved item dubbed the "VERY HARD ICE CREAM" because it freezes solid and is too hard to scoop with your spoon. But no worries. It might start melting by the time you get off, I suppose.
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