This is how we used to buy Ekiben in train stations. The seller came to the windows of the train and the passengers bought these "to go" meals from their seats. We didn't do this in the commuter trains, but it was still a big part of the fun of train travel. Unfortunately the train windows can't be opened nowadays, so that tradition was replaced with a new one. Now merchants sell the bentos in a booth on the platform or in the train station concourse.
Above is a video showing a classic train ride the way it used to be, with passengers riding the old trains and vendors selling bentos from the platform. I remember how they called out and walked along side the train windows. We always worried if we could catch one of the vendors, pay our money and grab the ekiben before the train started moving! We would wait to arrive at a certain station to get a certain Ekiben. We prepared coins for a quick exchange, arrived at the station and called out "Bento-ya saaaaan" from the open window. It was fun!
The first train in Japan ran from Tokyo (today's Shinbashi Station) to Yokohama (now Sakuragicho Station) on September 12, the 5th year of Meiji (10/14/1872). There are a few different theories about who sold the first Ekiben but for most agree it was at Utsunomiya Station in Tochigi Prefecture in 1885. The meal was simple; only a couple of onigiri (rice balls) and some pickles.
おにぎり Onigiri
In Japanese restaurants in the US, bento likely means a bento box. But bento in Japanese sense means food (most likely lunch but doesn't have to) brought from home. The "lunch box" type of sense developed and started to sell like Ekiben or conbini bento and so on. So now, you'll probably hear this conversation in a Japanese office around lunch time:
"おひるどうする" Ohiru doo suru? (What are you doing for lunch?)
"あー、今日はお弁当。" Ah, kyo wa obento. (Oh, today I brought my lunch.)
The bento here can be a sandwich, salad, or whatever we brought from home. It could also be something bought from a store or conbini on the way to work. You can also go out to buy a boxed lunch. In that case you'd say "I'm going out to buy a bento for lunch"; in this case the bento means a boxed lunch from a store. But you wouldn't hear bento used if someone is buying a sandwich or any other meal for some reason.
Among the lunch meals, one of our favorite is onigiri, meaning rice balls. You'll see a variety of onigiri in Japanese conbini as well as boxed bento. It's not much favored among Americans whom I personally know because it is mainly rice and kind of plain. Japanese LOVE lots of rice in this plain version! :D
The video above shows how to make rice balls. The way she washes the rice and cools down the rice to make the balls, and cuts the ingredients by scissors, some Japanese may not agree with but you'll get the idea.
空弁 Sora-ben
Sora-ben is another Japanese abbreviated word which is made out of 空 sora (sky) and 弁 ben (a kanji character from 弁当 bento) means the "sky" version of Ekiben. So the Sora-ben are sold by vendors at airports.
弁当男子 Bento Danshi
There used to be a time when lots of Japanese men just didn't cook. Samurai men even were actually prohibited from going into the kitchen! Though strangely enough, most professional cooks were men. Thankfully, times have changed. Lately, cooking is pretty popular pastime among guys. You'll see quite a few cook books for men in Japan. Guys who prepare their own lunches are called "Bento Danshi". It used to be that on the typical guy's wish list was finding a wife who was a good cook. Now, the tables have turned. Meeting a guy who can cook is the definition of a dream guy, and it's high on the wish list of many Japanese girls~!
Please see these Bento Danshi images from Google search.
In fact, these "____ danshi (boys)" or "____ joshi (girls)" are a sort of a trend. It's how you'd call certain types of boys/girls. Actually, it's not as big a trend as it once was, but the girls of Japan are "nikushoku joshi (meat-eater girls)" and "soshoku danshi (grass-eater boys)" and refers to a change happening in Japan: girls are getting tougher and boys are getting more gentle. Well, it may not sound so new in the States but it really does in Japan.
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