is a

seinen manga is an editorial category of Japanese comics marketed toward young adult men. In Japanese, the word means "youth", but the term " manga" is also used to describe the target audience of magazines like '' Weekly Manga Times'' and '' Weekly Man ...

series by Jun Hayase, serialized in ''

Manga Action is a Japanese seinen manga magazine published by Futabasha. It is currently published twice a month, on the first and third Thursday. The magazine was originally formed as and began publishing weekly from July 7, 1967. It is considered the fir ...

''. It focuses on the main character, Nakahara Daisuke, as he eats ''

ekiben are a specific type of ''bento'' boxed meals, sold on trains and at train stations in Japan. They come with disposable chopsticks (when necessary) or spoons. ''Ekiben'' containers can be made from plastic, wood, or ceramic. Many train stations ...

'',

bento A is a Japanese-style single-portion take-out or home-packed meal, often for lunch, typically including rice and packaged in a box with a lid (often a segmented box with different parts of the meal placed in different sections). Outside Japa ...

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

shop in

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

and a '' densha otaku''. 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 ''

'' 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 is a Japanese language, Japanese term most often applied to regional specialties (also known as ). can also be applied to specialized areas of interest, such as , where it refers to famous tea utensils, or Japanese swords, where it refers to sp ...

'', 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 ''

'' 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 The is a railway line in western Japan operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West). The line connects Shin-Yamaguchi Station in Yamaguchi, Yamaguchi and Masuda Station in Masuda, Shimane. History The Ogori (now Shin-Yamaguchi) - Yamaguch ...

steam locomotive and see the

Amarube Viaduct The is a railway bridge in the town of Kami, Hyōgo (Mikata), Kami, Mikata District, Hyōgo, Mikata District, Hyōgo Prefecture, on JR West's Sanin Main Line between the stations of Yoroi Station, Yoroi and Amarube Station, Amarube. The orig ...

* 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 is a Japanese term for specialty food products associated with particular Japanese regions.''Japan's Socio-Economic Evolution: Continuity and Change'' (Japan Library, 1996), eds. Sarah Metzger-Court & Werner Pascha, p. 157. ''Tokusanhin'' are oft ...

'' in famous ''ekiben''.

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.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ekiben Hitoritabi Seinen manga Cooking in anime and manga 2006 manga Futabasha manga Manga adapted into television series Japanese television dramas based on manga 2012 Japanese television series debuts 2012 Japanese television series endings Fuji Television Rail transport in Japan