Is cold train bento delicious? The tender beef and sweet rice are surprisingly delightful.

Photos & Text /Upper right 45-degree angle

A blessing in disguise? When planning our Tohoku itinerary, Yamagata Prefecture’s Yonezawa City was also considered by Right Upper, mainly because of the world-renowned Yonezawa beef. Later, we had to give it up for some reason, but fortunately, as if blessed by the heavens, Right Upper forgot to switch trains and ended up in Yonezawa, where we had the chance to taste this heavenly delicacy.


How many years has this elderly gentleman been selling bento on this platform? Seeing that we were foreign travelers, he still warmly greeted us in Japanese. He didn’t mind whether we understood or not (laughs).


With so many rich and beautifully made bentos, it was really hard to choose... So we asked the old man for a recommendation, and he directly pointed to the Honkaku Charcoal Grilled Beef Bento. We were truly touched because he didn’t recommend the most expensive one—I believe his sincerity shines through.


This is what the bento looks like on the outside. To be honest, if it weren’t for the old man’s special recommendation, I might not have chosen this seemingly ordinary-looking bento.


When I opened it, the beef slices were neatly arranged, and there were no dividers. Suddenly, it gave me a familiar feeling... it somewhat reminded me of Taiwanese-style bentos.


But the taste was quite different because it was cold. Right Upper was a bit worried—can cold bento really be delicious? As I picked up a piece of beef, I was completely impressed. Look at the beautiful marbling, the perfect grilling level. The taste was astonishing—how can cold bento and cold beef be this tender, and there’s even beef juice? Am I really eating bento? If it were freshly grilled, it would be even more incredible. It’s flavorful without even being heated. Beneath the beef slices was a layer of ground beef—it went perfectly with the rice and tasted sweet and savory.


The side dishes like bean sprouts and pickles were rather simple, but the spicy pickles and mild-flavored bean sprouts were perfect for refreshing the palate. The marbled egg was a bit like our soy-sauce eggs, just not as salty, with a soft yet bouncy texture. It was a great egg too.

Right Upper could only express gratitude by finishing every last grain of rice in the bento box, showing my respect for Yonezawa beef and Yonezawa bento (laughs).

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Right Upper 45-Degree Angle Girl’s Japanese Food Travel Journal