Ekiben Hitoritabi (manga/Tv drama)
Ekiben Hitoritabi (駅弁ひとり旅, “Train Lunch Solo Journey”) is a seinen manga series by Jun Hayase, serialized in Manga Action. It focuses on the main character, Nakahara Daisuke, as he eats ekiben, bento meals sold at train stations, as he travels around Japan by rail.
A 12-episode live-action television series adaptation aired between April 5 and June 21, 2012.
Plot
Nakahara Daisuke is the owner of a bento shop in Tokyo and a densha otaku, train enthusiast. For their tenth wedding anniversary, his wife gives him a train ticket for traveling across Japan since he has not had a chance to travel since their honeymoon. She tells him to investigate ekiben recipes along the way to help improve the bento in their shop. Although the trip is intended to be a solo one, Daisuke often befriends other travellers along the way and shares information about trains, railway history, ekiben, meibutsu, and local landmarks.
At each stop Daisuke or one of his fellow travellers buys an eki-bento (ekiben), and one full page is devoted to an image of the just-opened container with all components labelled; subsequent frames highlight the history and flavors. A related theme is the “romance of train travel”.
Major characters
In order of appearance:
- Nakahara Daisuke – the main character, a densha otaku and ekiben enthusiast
- Nakahara Yuko – Daisuke’s wife who bought his ticket and sent him on a multiweek trip around Japan
- Ozaki Nana – a journalist for a travel magazine who Daisuke befriends and instructs about ekiben
- Mizukoshi Miki – a law student who has failed the bar exam three times who Daisuke takes under his wing and instructs about sightseeing and ekiben
- Mizukoshi Hiroshi – Miki’s nephew, who Daisuke helps fulfill a promise made with his deceased father to ride the Yamaguchi Line steam locomotive and see the Amarube Viaduct
- Kate – an Australian exchange student traveling alone on her summer break
Volumes
Each volume of the manga focuses on a different region of Japan as Daisuke travels from station to station, viewing the local sights and eating tokusanhin in famous ekiben.
No. | Release date | ISBN | |
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1 | April 20, 2006 | 978-4575832273 | |
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Nakahara Daisuke is the owner of a bento shop in Tokyo and a densha otaku, train enthusiast. For their tenth wedding anniversary, his wife gives him a train ticket for traveling across Japan since he has not had a chance to travel since their honeymoon. She tells him to investigate ekiben recipes along the way to help improve the bento in their shop. Daisuke meets Ozaki Nana, a travel journalist who has neglected to pack food, on an overnight train and befriends her by sharing his ekiben. This volume focuses on ekiben in Kyushu. | |||
2 | September 28, 2006 | 978-4575832853 | |
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While staying at Dogo Onsen, Daisuke encounters Mizukoshi Miki who has failed the bar exam three times. She is on a rapid style Shikoku Pilgrimage, aiming to visit 10 out of the 88 sites in three days. Daisuke convinces her to slow down and enjoy the sights and ekiben with him. Through Miki, Daisuke meets her nephew, Hiroshi. Hiroshi’s recently deceased father promised take him to ride the Yamaguchi Line steam locomotive and see the Amarube Viaduct during his upcoming school break. Daisuke volunteers to take Daisuke instead. Together they sightsee and enjoy ekiben, allowing Hiroshi to find closure. This volume focuses on ekiben in the Chūgoku region of Honshu and Shikoku. | |||
3 | April 28, 2007 | 978-4575833522 | |
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At Kinosaki Onsen Daisuke meets Kate, an Australian exchange student traveling alone during her summer vacation. Daisuke teaches Kate about the joys of ekiben as they sightsee. This volume focuses on ekiben in the Kansai region of Honshu. | |||
4 | September 28, 2007 | 978-4575834062 | |
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Daisuke reunites briefly with Hiroshi to show him the Kyoto Railway Museum. Then Daisuke meets his wife, Yuko, to take a luxurious trip on the Twilight Express together. After sightseeing at the Sapporo Clock Tower, they visit the Otaru Transportation Museum. Yuko intends take the Cassiopea sleeper back to Ueno, but Daisuke is accidentally still onboard when the train departs the station, so they are able to share one last meal together before Daisuke disembarks at Hakodate Station. On his way to Oshamambe Daisuke runs into Nana again. This volume focuses on ekiben in southern Hokkaido. | |||
5 | March 28, 2008 | 978-4575834666 | |
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This volume focuses on ekiben in eastern Hokkaido. | |||
6 | September 27, 2008 | 978-4575835366 | |
This volume focuses on ekiben in northern Hokkaido and Sakhalin. | |||
7 | March 28, 2009 | 978-4575836028 | |
This volume focuses on ekiben in the eastern Tōhoku region of Honshu. | |||
8 | August 28, 2009 | 978-4575836622 | |
This volume focuses on ekiben in the western Tōhoku region of Honshu. | |||
9 | April 10, 2010 | 978-4575837513 | |
10 | July 12, 2010 | 978-4575837865 | |
11 | January 12, 2011 | 978-4575838558 | |
12 | April 28, 2011 | 978-4575838985 | |
13 | July 28, 2011 | 978-4575839326 | |
14 | October 28, 2011 | 978-4575839791 | |
15 | January 12, 2012 | 978-4575840124 |
Ekiben competition
In 2011 Hanshin department store in Osaka partnered with Ekiben Hitoritabi to hold an ekiben competition in which 260 ekiben were rated to name the country’s best.
Ekiben Hitoritabi | |
駅弁ひとり旅 | |
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Genre | Gourmet |
Manga | |
Ekiben Hitoritabi | |
Written by | Jun Hayase |
Published by | Futabasha |
Magazine | Manga Action |
Demographic | Seinen |
Original run | 2006 – November 15, 2011 |
Volumes | 15 |
Television drama | |
Ekiben Hitoritabi | |
Original network | Fuji TV |
Original run | April 5, 2012 – June 21, 2012 |
Episodes | 12 |