text: History The word ekiben comes from "eki", meaning railway station, and "ben", which is short for bento (box meal).  Before the introduction of rail travel, travellers would prepare their own meal or buy meals kept in wooden bento boxes sold in tea houses.  During the intermission of kabuki theatre performances, makunouchi-bento ("between-acts box lunches") were also sold. These would evolve into ekiben with the coming of railways.  The first sale of ekiben is generally believed to have been at the Utsunomiya Station in 1885 which opened when the Nihon Tetsudo line linked the station to Ueno Station in Tokyo. In the beginning the ekiben offered were simple fare, the ekiben offered at Utsunomiya Station were simply onigiri (rice balls) wrapped in young bamboo leaves. The idea of selling ekiben quickly spread to railway stations around the country, and in 1888, the first standard ekiben with rice and a few side dishes were sold at Himeji Station.
  At the beginning of the 20th century, many stations began to offer ekiben that served meals prepared from local specialties, and ekiben then evolved into a form of meal distinct from other bento boxes. These may be developed specially and are unique to each region, and often found only at the local railway stations. A well-known example is ikameshi, squid stuffed with rice, served at the Mori Station in Hokkaido. It was first produced as an ekiben meal but has since become a noted regional dish.  In many places, ekiben have become souvenirs of local specialty for tourists with unique containers and attractive packaging.