The ekibento, or "station box lunch," is a Japanese tradition going back over a century.  I the late 1890's, it became popular to purchase a boxed lunch, like the one pictured here, to eat on a leisurely train ride.  This tradition, which at the time was a great example of combining Japanese "tradition" with Japanese industrialization, continues into the present.  The ekiben is especially popular to eat on a shinkansen, or bullet train trip.  The picture here can be used to teach about Japanese food or as an introduction to the theme of how Japanese "traditions" have been integrated into modern life throughout Japan's recent history.

Click here for a lesson idea utilizing the obento, or boxed lunch.