Ekiben - "Ama Diver's Treasure Box"

Today we're going from Nagoya to Takayama by the "JR Limited Express Wide View Hida" Train.

The trip takes around 2.5 hours, so it is always a good idea to eat Bento. Bento sold in the station is called “Ekiben”.



This lunch box from Ise caught my attention. It is called "Ama Diver's Treasure Box". Ama means "women from the sea" who dives to the bottom of the ocean to collect seaweed, oysters, and abalone without scuba gear or air tanks.


Ama are native to the Mie Prefecture in Toba City. According to the description, the bento use seafood collected from Ama.

The food menu has 10 different types of food. They are stacked together. No cooking is required.




There are two layers in this bento:

Lower Layer

The lower layer consists of boiled rice with hijiki seaweed, vinegar marinated saury sushi, egg rolls and a selection of autumn vegetables.

Pumpkins and carrots carved into autumn leaves, with matsutake mushrooms on the side. Wait... it's not a mushroom, but yam carved into the shape of a mushroom. Impressive!

The vegetables are simmered in soy sauce and mirin, very much like a home cooked Japanese dish.


Lower layer: Appetizers, sushi and rice

Upper Layer

The upper layer is very colourful when compared with the lower layer.

Chewy seaweed, oyster wrapped in bacon with asparagus, scallop with salmon roe and shrimp with avocado dipping sauce. On the right, there are 2 kinds of dessert: wagashi and egg pudding.


Upper layer: Seafood and dessert

Overall, I'm happy with this extravagant bento. The avocado dipping sauce tastes awesome. The oyster wrapped in bacon is quite delicious. This bento costs 1350 yen and can be purchased from the bento store located at the boarding platform of the JR Nagoya Station.

Be sure to try this ekiben next time you travel from the Nagoya Station!



JR Nagoya Station
Address: 1 Chome-1-4 Meieki, Nakamura Ward, Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, Japan