Originally Posted by
CPH-Flyer
From Kyoto I usually get the semi-eki ben from Isetan. There is nothing like a bento from 京都吉兆 or 祇園にしかわ. Pick your train bentos well and they can be wonderful. But then also a bit more than 1,000 yen.
When I say
ekiben, I'm referring to
bento bought on the train platform (often a local specialty). Those bought at shops like Isetan within major metropolitan stations are of higher quality and cost and really a different category, but they do follow the same theme as the platform bought
bento of being excessively dry, with plenty of starch/carbs, little if any vegetables (usually just salty pickles), and often centered around high-calorie fried food or breaded cutlet. Sure, you can buy good sushi
bento or
tonkatsu bento made by well-known restaurants there, but these are usually different from those bought on the platform, but perhaps in Tokyo that is changing. Though not a
bento, how about the ubiquitous hot dog bun stuffed with
yakisoba or spaghetti, which has been around ever since I can remember. Starch on top of starch, I cringe every time I see it. Foodie paradise, anyone?
Years back I used to commute to Tokyo for work by Shinkansen (as many Japanese do) and really enjoyed the return trip home, which was rarely crowded. In Tokyo Station I could buy all kinds of tasty food dishes from the basement floor of Daimaru,as well as nice wine, beer, and sake and turn my train seat table into an
Izakaya for the one-hour or so ride home. It would not have been as much fun if I had been limited to buying
ekiben on the train platform.