Tokyo to Kyoto: Bento Boxes and Bullet Trains

One of the major forms of transportation is the railway. I would be taking a bullet train from Tokyo to Kyoto. The trip lasts about 2 hours. In almost every station bento boxes can be found. Bento boxes are essentially Japanese lunch boxes. These boxes almost always contain rice, pickled vegetables, and some form of protein. The protein is often fish, chicken, beef, tofu, or egg. Bento boxes can be warm but are typically room temperature or colder.
Here is an example of a shop that sells bento boxes. The right picture is the display at the front of the store, so customers can see the complete selection of items. The left picture are some of the bento boxes.
Here are some examples of what the inside of bento boxes contain. Both boxes have rice and pickled vegetables. The left contains beef and the right contains chicken and noodles.
On my train I witnessed people eating bento boxes, but most people had packed their own, but from what I could tell the contents were about the same. All the boxes I saw contained rice and had vegetables. Most appeared to have tamagoyaki, which is an omelet made into a roll. There are likely differences from bento box to bento box, but the most popular ones had similar items. 
These are healthy meals with rice having low calories, but a filling meal. The fermented vegetables are full of probiotics, which are beneficial for our microbes. They are found to stabilize blood sugar. 

Another common food eaten by commuters is onigiri, or rice balls.  Onigiri is rice often filled with fish and sometimes wrapped in seaweed. There is a variety of fillings that do not include fish. Onigiri is eaten on the go and is often eaten for breakfast, snacks, or a light lunch. 
The left is onigiri filled with salmon and covered with sesame seeds. The center is filled with pickled plums. The right is onigiri is wrapped in seaweed.
Fish is known for being one of the healthiest proteins with many beneficial nutrients, so onigiri filled with fish is a wonderful meal. Seaweed is nutrient-rich as well. Onigiri is a well-rounded addition to any meal.




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