Ekiben

The best thing about railway travel in Japan is ekiben, artfully composed bento lunch boxes sold at eki, or train stations, that allow you to sample each region's specialties. Travelers from Hokkaido in the north tuck into _ekiben_of sweet steamed snow crab legs, plump beads of salmon roe, and crispy pickled lotus root arrayed on beds of shredded egg omelette; _ekiben_from Hamamatsu Station on the south central coast feature grilled eel sprinkled with sesame seeds, flanked by Japanese pickles and served over sweet soy-sauce-simmered rice. But my favorite may be from Yokokawa Station up in the mountains: Steaming braised chicken, chestnuts, burdock, bamboo shoots, and dried apricots are served atop rice in a takeaway clay pot, unique even in the days before plastic when ekiben were still packaged in wooden boxes.