Ekibenya Matsuri

Ekibenya Matsuri at Gransta Tokyo truly lives up to its reputation as a must-visit spot for ekiben enthusiasts. I tried two beautifully crafted bentos, and both were a feast for the eyes and taste buds. The crab bento, served in a charming crab-shaped container, was packed with sweet, delicate crab meat layered over well-seasoned rice. The freshness and umami flavor of the crab were exceptional, and the pickled garnish added a nice balance. The second bento offered a variety of flavors and textures: a fluffy tamagoyaki, tender chicken pieces, savory beef, fresh greens, and crisp tempura. Each compartment was thoughtfully prepared and seasoned to perfection. The presentation was impeccable, and the attention to detail made the experience feel special. While the prices are slightly on the higher side, the quality and taste justify the cost. Highly recommended for anyone passing through Tokyo Station—it’s not just a meal, it’s an experience!

Spare some time and don’t get overwhelmed with a lot of people and choices. Most of the crowd is looking and choosing exactly like you, even if they are locals :) Photos of the inside content of the boxes and even some English translation are very helpful. You can pay with card in several cashier points. Price range from ¥1200 to 3000 (Euro 8-15). Great place to prep for a several hours Shinkansen ride. Enjoy

So many ekiben (bento box) choices! It was very crowded, though, and hard to walk. It was pretty easy to figure out what was inside of the bentos because of the pictures. Ended up buying several lunch boxes for the bullet train. Plenty of checkout lines that move quickly. One of the boxes I got was self heating. Overall the food was pretty tasty and very well packaged.

Bentos - a truly genius idea of packing a neat tray of food to be eaten on long train journeys, comforting for any train travelers from past to present. Japan is the home of bento (ebiken = railway bento, hence name of this shop) and being the main central Tokyo station, how can you not try some bentos?! Before going: --- We read the reviews and know it'll be crowded, so we know time is of the essence. Didn't want to get caught in the crowds not knowing what to get. So we did our research by watching some food Youtube videos and know what NOT to get e.g. certain "expensive beef" bentos just ain't worth it. Actual experience + What to note: 1. Getting there: --- This store is in the tapped in area of the station. Watch some videos, study the map, be mentally prepared that you have to navigate the station amongst thousands of human traffic. It's near Yaesu gate toward Marunouchi North gate. 2. What to do: --- Got there, there was indeed a crowd. But hey, nobody's chasing you out. We took our time and found out that it was EASY to find what we wanted as the shop's neat displays, clear pictures and labels (yes, in English too) and categorization helped. 3. What to get: --- Seafood is a MUST in Japan! Got the famous Awajiya bento in its iconic ceramic pot with the generously fat and juicy octopus tentacle. Would recommend crab legs and sea urchins because they are at crazy good prices for its amount. Shinkansens and character (e.g. Hello Kitty) great to get because they are rather limited and popular ones (e.g. E7 the fastest Japanese shinkansen) are perpetually sold out. Besides, you could keep the boxes and they make very cool lunchboxes. Simple beef, chicken, grilled items, fried cutlets were available too as safe options. Average prices are 1200yen or 9usd per ebiken. Nerd detail: --- the ebikens are representative of the "most famous food" from each area of Japan (which has over 200 train stations!), and the area that each ebiken is from is labelled on the top left hand corner of the display labels.