While we may be quite some time off before we can travel Internationally (if you are based in the US and other countries) due to COVID-19 protocols, if anything, it gives me some time to kick back and post about my travel, restaurant and other experiences.
And today, I wanted to write about what I like to eat while traveling on the shinkansen.
Sure, I’ve tried the box bento lunches before but if you are leaving the hotel and heading to the station, more than likely you have a convenience store to pass by.
Also, it’s a great way to save money and that is to fill your backpack or travel bag with some food and beverages for a much less than what you would pay at the station for a bento box.
And I’ve written many times, how convenience stores in Japan are much different in food offers unlike the convenience stores in the US. You’ll find fresh Japanese breakfast, lunch or dinner offerings and it’s not expensive at all.
In fact, budget travelers are quite content to purchase and eat food from a convenience store (conbini).
For me, I don’t bring major dishes, I bring something small. For one, there is an unwritten rule of not eating dishes that smell and can radiate through a train carriage. You’ll see posts about not eating 501 Horai meatbuns on a shinkansen because as delicious they may be, the smell of meatbuns can radiate through your section.
While I’m not much of a budget spender when it comes to traveling, as I like to enjoy myself if I’m going to travel to another country, for shinkansen, I’m quite content by going to a 7-Eleven, picking up my favorite Soft-boiled egg and omelete and rice packages, which is pretty much a seasoned rice ball with egg and sometimes seafood/meat. But they are only Y130/140, granted you can splurge on a sandwich and be just fine with that.
There are times where I miss my smoothies and healthy drinks, that I’ll pick up a vegetable/fruit drink, but again, continue to pick up the soft-boiled egg or salmon trout.
Or a shrimp and broccoli salad and a lemon-flavored water drink.
But for the most part, if you intend to eat a lot at the location you are traveling to, by going to the convenience store, you can make sure you are eating right.
But this has been my routine of what I eat on the shinkansen for years. Something simple, something light and inexpensive from a conbini and save my money for a true meal at the location I’m traveling to.
