Fukushima Prefecture is a vast prefecture with the third largest area in Japan after Hokkaido and Iwate. Because of this, the climate and climate varies from region to region within the prefecture, which is often divided into three regions: “Hamadori” on the east side facing the Pacific Ocean, “Aizu” located west of the Ou Mountains, and “Nakadori” sandwiched between Hamadori and Aizu. If you have traveled to the Tohoku region, you may have heard this name on TV weather forecasts.
The “Fukushima Nakadori Irodori Shobako” is an ekiben that, as its name suggests, expresses the charm of Fukushima by using a variety of Nakadori’s famous products. It was created by Fukutsuya, a long-established ekiben shop in Koriyama that also sells the region’s famous “Nori Nori-ben” (dried laver and seaweed) ekiben. At this point, expectations are already high.
The bento consists of two layers, with the top layer consisting of side dishes and the bottom layer consisting of rice. At first glance, the bento may look small, but it is a sufficient size in terms of quantity. The soybean rice made with “Asakamai,” a brand of rice produced in Koriyama, has a slightly gentle flavor, and the color of the toppings, such as cubes of fried egg and flower carrots, are gentle to the eye. The occasional burdock root sprinkled on the rice and the crunchiness of the chewy sakura pickles served with the rice accent the dish.
Of course, there are also a variety of side dishes. The sweet and spicy Fukushima beef stew has a strong flavor, but the beef itself has a strong taste. The fried Date chicken has a strong chicken flavor, but the overall taste is light and not greasy, which is characteristic of fried food.
The carrots are ika ginseng, a local dish of the northern Nakadori area. This was my first experience with carrots seasoned with soy sauce and surume seaweed. The soybean miso was salty and had a straightforward miso flavor. The green thing that I thought was a zunda mochi for dessert was tofu tsukune with sarunashi. I found out that saru-nashi is a member of the kiwi fruit family, but it was a little different from the fruitiness of the kiwi fruit, but it had a refreshing taste.
For the author, these three dishes were all new to him, and I think it is one of the great charms of ekiben to be able to experience such a variety of regional dishes little by little. By the way, the deep-fried prawn and sweet potato dish is fresh and gentle in taste.
Dessert was candied young peaches from Fukushima Prefecture. The green round ones that look like plums at first glance. It has a dessert-like sweetness and fruitiness with a refreshing taste. When you bite into it, you can see what looks like seeds, but you can eat all of them.
This ekiben is actually a limited-time-only ekiben designed to coincide with the Fukushima Destination (Fukushima DC), a three-month tourism campaign from April 1 to June 30, 2026, in which the JR Group, the prefecture, municipalities, and local tourism businesses will work together to promote the attractions of Fukushima Prefecture. The content of the ekiben was very satisfying, and I was able to fully appreciate the purpose of the campaign.
© Source travel watch