Awajiya has launched a new series called “Manhole Cover Bento” to showcase the charm of local areas, and will release the first installment, “Manhole Cover Bento: Amagasaki City, Hyogo Prefecture Edition,” on September 10. The price is 1,280 yen.
Retailers include Awajiya (Shin-Kobe Store, Kobe Store, Nishi-Akashi Store, Tarumi Station Store, Nishikami Chuo Store, Kobe Daimaru Store, Sannomiya Center Street Store, Kobe Hankyu Store, Takarazuka Hankyu Store, Kawanishi Hankyu Store, Senri Hankyu Store, Takatsuki Hankyu Store, Hanshin Umeda Store, Osaka Takashimaya Store, Tsuruhashi Store, Keihan Moriguchi Store, Lazona Kawasaki Store, LaLa Terrace Kawaguchi Store), Awajiya’s Omotsubo (Piore Akashi Store, Kobe Airport Store), the Awajiya Online Shop, and the in-store reservation and pickup website.
The “Manhole Bento” was developed by focusing on the similarities between manhole covers—which depict the region’s history, culture, and scenery—and ekiben (station boxed lunches), which showcase local cuisine and specialties. By distilling the region’s charm into both the bento and the manhole cover, the product aims to be a local specialty bento that is “delicious to eat and educational to look at.”
For the first installment, the Amagasaki City edition, the set features local manhole cover designs depicting the city’s flower, the oleander, as well as fireflies. The bento includes Chinese noodles and a Chinese-style sauce inspired by “Amagasaki Ankake Champon,” paired with bok choy tossed in sesame oil, braised beef, and fish cake.
In addition, a decorative ceramic manhole cover is included as a bonus. Even after you’ve finished eating, you can keep the Amagasaki City manhole cover as a memento to enjoy. Going forward, we plan to expand this series by pairing local manhole covers from across the country with regional specialty foods.
© Source travel watch