The Tohoku Shinkansen celebrates its 40th anniversary in June 2022. The ekiben introduced here is the “Obara Shosuke 3rd Generation Bento”, a classic from Koriyama Station in Fukushima Prefecture, with a fun wrapping paper celebrating the anniversary year.
The picture depicts the 200 Series Shinkansen Yamabiko of the time when the line first started service, and it is a reminder of the passage of time that 40 years have already passed since the white and green Shinkansen, similar to the 0 Series, made its debut. The “Obara Shosuke Bento” was originally sold as a commemorative bento for the opening of the Tohoku Shinkansen, so this ekiben is also celebrating its 40th anniversary.
When the wrapping paper is removed, the dish looks compact, but it is quite substantial, with two layers of side dishes on the top and rice on the bottom. There are two types of rice: white rice topped with chopped ume plum and rice with shimeji mushrooms topped with pickled rape blossoms in soy sauce.
We started with the white rice, and the rice was just delicious. It was a completely different type of deliciousness from the freshly cooked rice we eat at home. As soon as I took a bite, I was immediately reminded of the popular ekiben “Nori Nori Ben” sold at the same Koriyama station. I am not sure if it is the same one, but it is a memorable taste. I confirmed that both ekiben are made by Fukutsuya, a long-established ekiben shop in Koriyama. The white rice is topped with chopped ume plum and is very refreshing.
The shimeji mushroom rice, along with the soaked rape blossoms on top in soy sauce, was also lightly seasoned. The combination with the refreshing white rice was so tasty that it would be satisfying on its own.
Although the side dishes were not eccentric and seemed orthodox at first glance, each dish was very well seasoned and varied, and was just as satisfying as the rice.
Shrimp isobe-age (fried prawns) has a satisfying taste of the sea from the prawns and nori seaweed. The kombu maki (kelp roll) with nishin is seasoned gently with a moderate intensity. The soybean miso has the taste and texture of the beans themselves without being overly soaked in miso. Chicken grilled with sake-kasu miso is a hearty dish, and there are other dishes that emphasize the flavor of the ingredients.
Incidentally, the cute Temari mochi (rice cake) is filled with red bean paste. Fukumadoya, the company that makes this bento, was founded in the Taisho era (1912-1926) by the founder, who was a Japanese confectionery craftsman. In fact, the Temari mochi may be filled with the founder’s thoughts and persistence.
The ekiben’s name, Obara Shosuke, is a character from the Fukushima folk song “Aizu Bandaisan” (Aizu Bandaisan). The song says, “He loved to sleep in the morning, drink in the morning, and take a bath in the morning,” but I felt no such roughness in the ekiben. On the other hand, he was friendly and loved by many people, which I felt was the origin of the name.
There are many ekiben with delicious rice at Koriyama Station, but why not choose the “Obara Shosuke 3rd Generation Bento” which celebrated its 40th anniversary along with the Tohoku Shinkansen?
© Source travel watch