At Kareigawa Station in Kirishima, Kagoshima Prefecture, on the JR Hisatsu Line, customers continue to line up for a family's specialty ekiben despite no trains running since August due to torrential rains. The boxed meal won the JR Kyushu-sponsored Kyushu Ekiben Grand Prix for the first time in 15 years this spring. Even amid natural disasters, its simple flavors using local produce draw fans from afar.
Kareigawa Station in Kirishima, Kagoshima Prefecture, on the JR Hisatsu Line has operated without trains since August 2023, when torrential rains devastated southern Kyushu. Yet, on weekends and national holidays, visitors drive to the 120-year-old wooden station to buy its exclusive ekiben, forming lines despite the unmanned setup.
The "Hyakunen no Tabi Monogatari Kareigawa" ekiben, priced at ¥1,800, features rice cooked with shiitake mushrooms and bamboo shoots, Kagoshima dialect "gane" sweet potato tempura, and julienned daikon radish simmered in dashi. Free of meat and fish, it highlights local produce for a nostalgic taste. On November 3, the last day of a three-day holiday, about 110 boxes sold out in an hour, with customers arriving from outside the prefecture in rental cars and motorcycles.
Conceived in February 2004 by Mayumi Yamada, 68, a homemaker, for a local tourist association's ekiben competition tied to the Hyato-no-Kaze tourist train launch, the simple bento evoked travelers from 100 years ago. Sales began the next month but were initially slow without station permission. In June 2004, Yamada offered one to the train's cabin attendants; Yuka Ikeda, 51, praised it, saying, "The taste, aroma and appearance—all of it fit perfectly with the train’s atmosphere. I was able to confidently recommend it to our passengers." JR Kyushu soon added it to onboard sales, boosting popularity.
Yamada, her 76-year-old husband Fumiaki, and 43-year-old daughter Kayo Imabeppu prepare it weekly from dawn in their home facility in Kirishima. It topped fan-voted rankings from 2008 to 2010.
Disasters struck repeatedly: July 2020 rains closed the northern section between Yatsushiro and Yoshimatsu stations, suspending Hayato-no-Kaze until its discontinuation in March 2022. Further rains halted service between Yoshimatsu and Hayato stations, with no resumption in sight. Yamada persists, noting, "Though a station usually exists for trains, we have customers who come here [by car or other means] just to buy my ekiben."
A 44-year-old company employee from Fukuyama, Hiroshima Prefecture, shared, "I love the simple flavors that you can’t find in other ekiben. Once you get a taste, you’ll never forget it."
This spring, it won the Kyushu Ekiben Grand Prix again after 15 years. JR Kyushu predicts restoration challenges by year-end, but Yamada vows, "I want to keep making tasty ekiben and revitalize our local community for those who are waiting for the day when they can travel to Kareigawa by train."