JR East held its 12th annual ekiben summit battle, “Ekiben Aji no Jin 2023,” and announced a total of 14 winning ekiben out of 59 entries.
The total number of votes cast this time was 11,437. The first-place “Ekiben Taishogun” that received the most votes was “Odate Chicken Meal,” from Akita Prefecture, the hometown of the loyal dog Hachiko. It is a commemorative ekiben celebrating the opening of the new Odate Station on the Ou Main Line, and features a variety of Odate-related ingredients.
The “Ekiben Vice General,” which is awarded to the ekiben with the second highest overall rating, is Yamagata Prefecture’s “Beef Doman-naka Curry Flavor. The ekiben is said to have a perfect balance of beef minced beef on fluffy Yamagata Prefecture Doman-naka rice and curry-flavored beef stew.
Other award-winning ekiben are as follows. A “banquet” featuring the winning ekiben is scheduled from January 12 to February 12, 2024, as an after-event of the “Ekiben Aji no Jinin 2023” event. Details will be announced on the official website.
© Source travel watch