Season 8 · Episode 2

Japan Railway Journal: Ekiben: Making a Comeback

Ekiben (a word that combines the Japanese words for station and boxed meal) are sold at stations and on trains throughout Japan. Unfortunately, the coronavirus pandemic, which affected ridership on railways across Japan, including the shinkansen, severely affected the Ekiben industry as well. Concerned for their business, Ekiben manufacturers began looking for new ways to survive. See the ideas they've come up with, from frozen Ekiben and online sales, to expanding business overseas.