Ekiben Unboxing from Ueno Station on the Hitachi Super Express
Ekiben Unboxing from Ueno Station on the Hitachi Super Express
Overview
In this episode, John Daub and guest Jennifer Julian embark on a journey from Tokyo's Ueno Station to Mito City in Ibaraki Prefecture aboard the Hitachi Super Express. The primary focus is a classic Japanese travel tradition: unboxing and reviewing ekiben (station bento) on the train. John and Jennifer compare two different types of bento—a chicken-based box and a Tokyo-famous Fukagawa-meshi (clam rice)—while discussing food preferences, freshness indicators, and train etiquette.
The video captures the casual, conversational style typical of Only in Japan Go, blending food critique with travel logistics. They highlight the importance of checking expiration dates on bento boxes, the cultural significance of o-shibori (wet towels), and the nuances of Japanese train food. The episode serves as both a food review and a travel vlog, concluding with a teaser for a later livestream at the JAXA Museum in Mito.
Highlights
- 00:00 Introduction: John and Jennifer board the Hitachi Express at Ueno Station bound for Mito City.
- 01:08 Bento Unboxing: Jennifer reveals her chicken bento choice while John prepares to film.
- 02:23 Etiquette Tip: John emphasizes using the o-shibori (wet towel) to clean hands before eating.
- 03:27 Chicken Bento Review: Detailed look at the contents including soboro, egg, and gobo (burdock root).
- 05:11 Food Critic Moment: Jennifer honestly critiques the chicken as slightly spicy and dry.
- 07:03 Fukagawa-meshi Unboxing: John introduces his 900 yen Tokyo-famous clam rice bento.
- 10:14 Freshness Test: Jennifer notes the fish doesn't smell fishy, indicating freshness.
- 13:10 Next Destination: Teaser for the livestream at the JAXA Museum in Mito.
Timeline / Chapters
- 00:00 Intro at Ueno Station
- 01:08 Jennifer's Chicken Bento
- 02:23 Hand Cleaning Etiquette
- 03:27 Chicken Bento Contents
- 05:11 Taste Test & Critique
- 07:03 John's Fukagawa-meshi
- 09:33 Train Spotting & Camera Talk
- 10:14 Clam Rice Taste Test
- 12:02 Coffee & Bento Preference Discussion
- 13:10 JAXA Museum Teaser & Outro
Japan Travel Tips
- Ekiben Timing: Always check the label on your bento box for the production date and expiration time (e.g., "good until 7 p.m.").
- Hand Hygiene: Use the provided o-shibori (wet towel) to clean your hands before eating train food.
- Freshness Check: Fresh fish should not have a strong "fishy" smell. If it smells strongly, it may not be fresh.
- Train Choices: The Hitachi Super Express connects Tokyo (Ueno) to Ibaraki (Mito) comfortably for day trips.
- Coffee Warning: Vending machine coffee labeled as "hot" may sometimes be served cold or iced depending on the machine settings—check before buying.
- Bento Selection: John advises against choosing chicken bento if you want the best experience, preferring seafood options like clam rice.
Japanese Language & Culture Notes
- Ekiben (駅弁): Portion-controlled meals sold at train stations, designed for travel. Often region-specific.
- O-shibori (お絞り): Wet towels provided at restaurants or with bento boxes for cleaning hands before meals.
- Itadakimasu (いただきます): Phrase said before eating to express gratitude for the food.
- Fukagawa-meshi (深川めし): A Tokyo specialty dish consisting of rice topped with clams in miso sauce, originating from the Fukagawa district.
- Soboro (そぼろ): Seasoned minced meat (often chicken or pork) commonly found in bento boxes.
- Donburi (丼): A Japanese rice bowl dish. John mentions "clams donburi" as a historical Edo period specialty.
- Freshness Culture: In Japan, the smell of fish is a critical indicator of quality. Fresh fish should be odorless or smell like the ocean, not "fishy."
Food & Drink Guide
- Chicken Bento (850 yen)
- 01:44 Jennifer's choice. Contains chicken pieces, tsukune (chicken balls), soboro (minced meat), egg, and gobo (burdock root).
- Review: Slightly spicy and dry, but good.
- Fukagawa-meshi (900 yen)
- 07:03 John's choice. Tokyo-famous clam rice dish.
- Contents: Clams, rice, negi (leeks), moist fish.
- Review: Soft, tender, no fishy smell. John considers it the better choice.
- Coffee (Vending Machine)
- 01:13 John's drink. Intended to be hot but arrived cold with ice cubes.
- Review: Disappointing, described as looking like cola.
People
- John Daub: Host and narrator. American living in Japan for 30+ years. Enthusiastic about food and train travel. Provides cultural context and commentary.
- Jennifer Julian: Guest and co-host for this trip. Provides honest food critiques and assists with filming. Mentioned as a professional at eating bento.
Key Takeaways
- Seafood over Chicken: For ekiben, seafood options like Fukagawa-meshi often offer better quality and moisture than chicken options.
- Smell Test: The absence of a fishy smell is the primary indicator of fresh fish in Japan.
- Ekiben Variety: Bento boxes come with detailed labeling including production time and expiration, ensuring safety and freshness.
- Travel Ritual: Unboxing ekiben is an integral part of the Japanese train travel experience.
Notable Quotes
- 02:23 John Daub: "Always clean your hands before you eat."
- 05:11 John Daub: "In order to wow a food critic..."
- 06:09 John Daub: "Jen and I are going deep to Mito City."
- 08:04 John Daub: "Deep river bento. I bet the clams and everything comes from the Fukagawa River."
- 10:14 Jennifer Julian: "Fish always has a fishy smell to it. This one doesn't have that. That's how you know it's fresh."
- 12:02 John Daub: "Never get the chicken. I'll give you my cola-looking coffee."
Related Topics
- Ekiben Culture in Japan
- JR East Train Services
- Tokyo Food Specialties
- Mito City Travel Guide
- Japanese Train Etiquette
Search Tags
#only-in-japan-go #tokyo #ibarak #ueno-station #hitachi-express #ekiben #bento #fukagawa-meshi #train-food #john-daub #japan-travel #food-review #mito-city #jaxa-museum
Full Transcript
00:00 John Daub: Good morning everybody. How are you doing? So Jennifer and I—this is Jennifer Julian, by the way—are on the Hitachi Express bound for Mito City. We're still at Ueno Eki. This is our ticket: Ueno to Mito. We're gonna be going to Mito City to livestream about four times today from Ueno to Mito.
00:49 John Daub: But of course, nobody can go on an express train like this without an eki-ben. Yeah, unboxing.
01:08 Jennifer Julian: Let me see here.
01:13 John Daub: I'm holding the camera. Look, there are the chopsticks on the side of the bento. That's my coffee—cold coffee. What happened?
01:25 Jennifer Julian: Because we were in a rush and you thought you were getting hot coffee and you got the cold one from a vending machine.
01:35 John Daub: Okay, hold on. Do it again. Rolling.
01:44 Jennifer Julian: It smells good. I got the chicken bento: pieces of chicken and these are chicken balls—like tsukune (ground chicken meatballs), I think.
02:08 John Daub: Why did you pick this one? Besides the fact that we didn't have a lot of time.
02:13 Jennifer Julian: Because I like chicken and, you know, in a bento, I'd rather have chicken than fish.
02:23 John Daub: A renowned chef once said never get the chicken. It's always... Okay, anyways, moving on. So it came with the chopsticks and the wet napkin, which we call o-shibori (hot towel). Always clean your hands before you eat.
02:39 Jennifer Julian: Can I see this? So this is the box for it. On the label, it says it was made today—good until 7 p.m. It was made in Kikugawa. Keep it under 25 degrees Celsius. 850 yen.
03:20 John Daub: Jennifer, always clean your hands.
03:22 Jennifer Julian: My hands are clean. So now I can dig in.
03:27 John Daub: Go deep. There is some soboro (minced meat). Show the soboro. And then we have the egg. Move that chicken. It's basically all about the chicken, this bento. And to feel like I'm eating healthy, they put some vegetables—a little bit of gobo (burdock root). Lots of fiber because it's a root. I guess I'm lucky I had lots of fruits this morning at breakfast.
04:48 Jennifer Julian: Chicken?
04:48 John Daub: Yeah, go ahead. Itadakimasu.
04:53 Jennifer Julian: Bon appétit. It's good. Can I be honest? It's a little bit spicy, a little bit dry, but it's good.
05:11 John Daub: That's the critic in her. She's going to be completely honest. In order to wow a food critic...
05:31 Jennifer Julian: Let's try the soboro.
05:33 John Daub: Be honest. Speak with your face.
05:43 Jennifer Julian: Very nice. You know soboro? This one is how they... The salt, et cetera. The taste is pretty deep. Strong.
06:09 John Daub: That's the key word today: deep. Jen and I are going deep to Mito City. The tsukune is very important too. Chicken balls, right? Look at that bokeh (background blur). This is the iPhone 7—doing a pretty good job.
06:42 Jennifer Julian: Can I eat now? Itadakimasu.
06:51 John Daub: I have this coffee. It'll be hot. They put ice cubes in it. It looks like cola. I'm so disappointed.
07:03 John Daub: Now, we're going to unbox this one. This is 900 yen? That's a lot. Obviously, you can see from the box, this is a Tokyo-famous bento: Fukagawa-meshi (clam rice dish).
07:52 Jennifer Julian: Fukagawa-meshi.
08:04 John Daub: Deep river bento. I bet the clams and everything comes from the Fukagawa River—from the deep river of Tokyo. Look how soft and moist that fish is. These are negi (leeks). Mine is dry. These are very moist because it's from the deepest river in the world, probably.
09:05 Jennifer Julian: I'm going to try this one-handed.
09:33 John Daub: I gave her the stabilizer once before, and then she totally went in a different direction, started filming something completely different. So if I give her this camera, she's probably going to go to another car. Speaking of another car, a train just passed, but I missed it.
09:54 John Daub: Let's go into this deep river bento. It smells good. The deep, moist fish.
10:14 Jennifer Julian: Oh, it's so soft, so tender. Fish always has a fishy smell to it. This one doesn't have that. That's how you know it's fresh—if fish doesn't smell fishy.
10:45 John Daub: When you smell fish and it has a fish smell, don't eat it. Well, you can probably eat it, but it's not fresh. I've been told that with the fish during the Edo period, that would be a specialty: clams donburi. And still now, I know a sushi place where they do the clams donburi. It's called the Fukagawa specialty.
11:25 Jennifer Julian: Was that a clam? I think that was tofu. That's a clam. They soaked it in something. It smells clammy.
11:48 John Daub: Let me try your clam. How's the clam?
11:56 Jennifer Julian: It's good. I think your bento is better than mine. It's a better choice than mine.
12:02 John Daub: I started this livestream a couple minutes ago and said, never get the chicken. Now you believe the famous chef. You're a professional at eating bento—you always get bento. Usually I get bread or sandwiches. So please teach me about bento. Never get the chicken. I'll give you my cola-looking coffee.
12:32 Jennifer Julian: No merci. Cold coffee is not coffee. It's iced coffee.
12:36 John Daub: This comes from a machine—they put the cap on it. I was surprised because I never get coffee from a machine. I always get coffee from shops, from a person who serves it.
13:10 Jennifer Julian: All right everybody. We're gonna be live streaming today, all day in Mito. I got a surprise for you at the end. We're going to the JAXA Museum.
13:20 John Daub: We're gonna be streaming from the JAXA Museum after hours. This is like Night at the Museum or something.
13:30 Jennifer Julian: The movie. So stay tuned. The rest of the day we're gonna be live streaming. Definitely check it out.
13:36 John Daub: This is Jennifer Julian. I'm John Daub.
13:42 Jennifer Julian: And this is Bento Unboxing. See you everybody. See you on the other side. We'll be live streaming again in about an hour.