On Saturday, August 27th, I bought a bento box for breakfast at "Tabebento Osaka Midosuji-guchi Store" inside the Midosuji exit gate of JR Osaka Station, which opens early at 6:30 am. This time, I purchased the "Rokko Mountain Traverse Bento" from Awajiya in Kobe for 720 yen (now 780 yen including tax). The train ride on the New Rapid Service was delayed due to a person entering the tracks near Yamasaki on the Tokaido Main Line, causing a long stop at Takatsuki Station and eventually downgrading the train to a local service. Despite the crowded train, I enjoyed the bento box with various side dishes and two onigiri, feeling satisfied with the delicious meal. The bento box was compact and easy to eat in the narrow train car. The restaurant's concept is to provide a convenient and easy-to-eat meal for customers. The variety of side dishes included grilled salted salmon, simmered octopus, rolled omelette, beef simmered in sukiyaki style, simmered chicken, rolled kelp, fish cake, burdock root, and baby sardines simmered in soy sauce. The two onigiri were made with mixed grain rice and barley rice, along with pickled vegetables. Overall, it was a delicious and satisfying breakfast experience.

In January 2019, before boarding the limited express train from Osaka Station, I checked out the station bento at a store inside the ticket gate. I don't really know much about Osaka station bento since I don't have many opportunities to buy them, but I saw typical ones like "Takoyaki Gohan" and "Naniwa Gozen" lined up, so I decided to buy "Takoyaki Gohan" for 1000 yen and enjoyed it on the train. The contents of the bento were as follows: - Seasoned rice (seasoned chopped octopus, sesame, pickled ginger vinegar) - Takoyaki (medium-thick sauce, bonito flakes) - Simmered pumpkin - Simmered octopus - Sweet simmered sweet potatoes - Boiled cabbage It's a bit disappointing that the takoyaki was cold, but if you eat it at home, you can reheat it so it shouldn't be a problem. The rice was delicious even when it was cold. When it comes to octopus bento in the Kansai region, "Hippari Dako Meshi" from Awajiya is the way to go, right? (You can of course purchase it at the "Tabi Bento" store). Thank you for the meal!

On the first day of 2019, in celebration of my friend achieving a milestone on Tabelog, we planned to visit the snowy and nostalgic Ginzan Onsen in Yamagata. However, the ryokan we wanted to stay at was fully booked, so we had to give up on that idea. After searching for other hidden hot spring resorts, we ended up with my friend choosing the "Taiza Onsen Sumpira" in Tango Peninsula. We embarked on a 2-day trip to enjoy the elusive "Taiza crab". We headed to Tango Peninsula, located in the northern part of Kyoto, by taking trains as my car didn't have winter tires. The weather was clear and there was no snow on the peninsula, so we decided to first visit Amanohashidate. Our travel schedule for the first day was as follows: - Departure from Osaka at 9:10 AM, arrival in Fukuchiyama at 10:45 AM - Transfer to Kyoto Tango Railway Express "Hashidate 1" and arrival in Miyazu at 11:15 AM - Transfer to Miyatoyo Line and arrival in Amanohashidate at 11:23 AM - Sightseeing and lunch at Amanohashidate until 2:20 PM - Transfer to Amanohashidate at 2:33 PM, arrival in Ano at 3:04 PM - Arrival at the ryokan "Taiza Onsen Sumpira" at 3:30 PM - Dinner: Taiza crab full course The next day's schedule included breakfast at the ryokan, departure at 8:50 AM, arrival at Ano Station at 9:28 AM, transfer to Fukuchiyama, and arrival in Osaka at 12:23 PM. Due to my friend having commitments in the afternoon, it was a fast-paced trip as always. We bought bento boxes at Osaka Station before boarding the "JR Limited Express Kounotori 3". The bento box included Osaka's famous Takoyaki with octopus balls and seasoned rice. We also bought canned beer to enjoy during the journey. Despite expecting fewer passengers due to the winter season, the train was full of tourists eager to enjoy snow crabs and hot springs in the San'in region. We had a delightful meal of Takoyaki and other side dishes while enjoying the journey. The trip was filled with delicious food and drinks, making us feel quite tipsy by the end of the day.

☆ Osaka Station Mid-May Mother-Daughter Trip to Amanohashidate! Booked through Japan Travel's Akai Fuusen~♪ Departing Osaka Station at 10:10 on the "Limited Express Kounotori" and scheduled to arrive at Amanohashidate at 12:30. Since we don't want to have a heavy meal right after arriving, we decided to buy station bento as a snack for now~♪ There are two places at Osaka Station that sell bento aside from convenience stores. One is near the Midosuji Exit and the other is on the platform for the Thunderbird. The Midosuji Exit offers both regular and small sizes, which is convenient for those with small appetites or just wanting a little bit. There are so many options to choose from, it's hard to decide. It's been a while since I had bento~♪o(^o^)o Exciting! I chose the "Nagomi Makunouchi Bento for 600 yen including tax" with tamagoyaki, salmon, tsukune, beef shigureni, and more. I love salmon, so it's usually my go-to choice when it's included in the bento! My daughter chose the "Nishikokudo Taste Tour for 700 yen including tax" because she liked the chestnut rice, octopus, and simmered dishes. The seasoning was just right, not too strong or weak, and we enjoyed it thoroughly~ After finishing our meal, we arrived at Fukuchiyama Station! We transferred to the Tango Railway and took the "Limited Express Hashidate" to our final destination, Amanohashidate. Thank you for the meal~

Located just inside the eastern entrance of Osaka Station, this restaurant offers a variety of bento boxes perfect for travelers. While there are many competing options nearby such as Seven Eleven, cafes, and bakeries, why not start your journey with a train bento box for a special touch? Among the 30 options available, the most popular choice is the "Tabi no Makunouchi" priced at 850 yen. This bento box is divided into 9 squares, featuring three types of rice - chestnut red rice, white rice with pickled plum, and octopus rice. The rest of the box includes popular dishes like sweet and savory simmered sukiyaki beef with burdock and konjac, three sacred items (rolled omelette, fish cake, grilled salmon), simmered taro, pumpkin, and rolled kelp, vinegar lotus root, konjac simmered in broth, and more. The absence of fried items is a pleasant surprise. Made by Awajiya, this bento box is delicious.

On my way back from Osaka, I was feeling hungry so I bought a tonkatsu bento box for 670 yen from Awajiya, a bento shop here. This was my second time buying a bento at Osaka Station, and the last time I bought one at the first platform of the Thunderbird train and it was really delicious. This time, I couldn't find the same shop so I went for the tonkatsu bento instead. I ate the bento in the car, and since it was fried food, it wasn't as good as the sukiyaki bento I had last time. I think bento boxes with flavors that have had time to soak in are better.

Located inside JR Osaka Station in Kita Ward, Osaka, this shop is operated by JR West Japan Food Service Net, whose main business is providing food and drink services to railway customers. They sell station bento boxes, and their showcase displays a variety of options. Today's lunch was Akashi's specialty, dashimaki anago rice for 1100 yen. The eel was fragrant and delicious. Thank you for the meal.

Osaka Station in the morning is chaotic! There are too many people! Dodging the people charging straight ahead, I finally make it to the bento shop. It's like the Normandy landings! Among the wide variety of options, I chose the eel rice bento for 1080 yen just because the eel looked delicious. Heading north on the Kosei Line after passing through Kyoto, I enjoy the eel rice while gazing at Lake Biwa. Anyway, station bento is a must-have!! Oh, is eel rice a specialty of Himeji Station?! (laughs)

"Sukiyaki bento is a must try‼️"