On March 18, JR Kyushu announced the final results of the 16th Kyushu Ekiben Grand Prix.
The judging was divided into two price categories, with Miyazaki Station’s “Superior Shiitake Meshi” winning the Grand Prix in the under 1,400 yen category. This luxurious two-tier bento featured thick Miyazaki shiitake mushrooms as the main ingredient, with side dishes such as shumai (steamed pork dumplings), vegetable meat rolls, and grilled mackerel. The runner-up in the same category was the “Orio Specialty Kashiwa-meshi” from Orio Station.
In the over 1,401 yen category, the “Hyakunen no Tabimonogatari Kareigawa” from Kagoshima Prefecture’s Kaisegawa Station won the grand prize. The dish features cooked rice topped with shiitake mushrooms and bamboo shoots grown on the Kagaekawa River, and is served with tempura of Kagoshima’s local delicacy “gane,” Kagaekawa croquettes, and kabocha and eggplant miso dengaku. The runner-up for the Grand Prix in this category was the “Mentai-jyu bento” from Hakata Station.
The “Kyushu Ekiben Grand Prix” was the first of its kind, with a total of 52 “recommended ekiben” carefully selected by station employees, and a total of 3,136 votes were collected from customers during the preliminary round, which was held at each participating store over a four-month period starting in October 2025.
The top 10 ekiben were narrowed down based on evaluations in the four categories of “taste,” “particularity and local flavor,” “presentation,” and “packaging,” and a final contest was held on March 6 and 7 at the Hakata Hankyu. The 362 votes cast at the event were also taken into account in deciding the winners.
Except for “Hyakunen no Tabimonogatari Kareigawa,” this was the first time for any of the three products to be selected for the Grand Prix and the Runner-up Grand Prix. The ekiben, which are filled with the charms of various regions of Kyushu, were highly evaluated by many customers.
© Source travel watch