Sales are “the largest for a one-week event. Secrets of the Popularity of Hanshin’s Ekiben Festival The Ekiben Festival opens at 10:00 in the morning. However, as this was the first time the event had been held in two years, a line of people waiting for their turn surrounded the department store from 8:00 to 8:30. Perhaps because of the intricate nature of the entire site, even the guides were shouting, “Last in line is this way, this way! and they were trying their best to guide us to the south side of the building. The most popular ekiben were the “Anago-meshi” at Miyajima-guchi Station in Hiroshima, “Umi-no-kikki” at Otaru Station in Hokkaido, and “Ikameshi” at Mori Station in Hokkaido (also a participant since the first event!). (Participated since the first event!). Although the lineup is familiar, regular customers flock to the Hanshin Department Store every year, saying, “I want to try it! The ekiben festival is a bustling event because regular customers flock to the Hanshin Department Store every year, eager to try the food. When the doors open around 10:00 a.m., the special venue on the 8th floor of Hanshin Department Store is filled with customers who have been waiting for the event. I’ve been waiting for you! and “I’ve been waiting for this for two years! This ekiben event is “the top selling one-week event” (the two-week Hokkaido Product Exhibition is number one overall), and is so popular among regular customers that many people look forward to the event every year. In addition to the demonstration booths, the “transported ekiben” corner, which features items delivered by Shinkansen bullet trains, airplanes, trucks, and other means from various regions, also draws a large number of visitors. This year’s highlights include the “Myakumyaku Hittaridako Meshi,” which continued to sell well even after the Osaka-Kansai Expo ended, reaching a total of 80,000 units sold. They will probably sell out quickly in the morning. And the most unique feature of the ekiben convention at Hanshin Department Store is that there is an “eat stand” (eat-in). Near this section, there is a stand selling beer, sake, whiskey, and other beverages, and from 3:00 p.m., a special “Bar Ticket” is available. With a set of alcohol and snacks made by an ekiben shop, you can get tipsy even though you are in a department store. Of course, you can also purchase ekiben and other delicious foods at various stores and drink them together. According to Katsuhiko Ota of the Hanshin Department Store’s Food Event Department, this experiment began about 10 years ago and has been expanded in response to customer demand. It can be said that Hanshin Department Store’s unconventional attempts, which other department stores do not have, have borne fruit. So, why wasn’t such an ekiben convention held last year? We continued our interview with Mr. Ota.
© Source travel watch