Red Seabream or tai/鯛 is considered a lucky fish in Japan and is served for all kinds of celebrations.
The fish itself can come quite expensive, especially when caught in deep water.
In Shizuoka we have both the wild and human-raised varieties and is not that expensive, except when served as himono/dried fish/干物！

We were busy today moving into another appartmenet downtown and we just did not have the time to cook lunch.
I just went to Shizuoka JR Station, 15 minutes away by bicycle and bought 8 of the above (six for the removal staff and two for us)!

Tokaiken Co. sells two versions, one normal and the other called “Tokusei Tai Meshi”/Special Red Seabream Rice.
I bought the latter as this was a special occasion!

Precise explanations of the contents as usual!

The design is quite retro and ancient. too. The picture comes from a real painting/litograph/wood plate of old!

Now, what do we have here?

A piece of simmered red seabream with its soft edible skin atop the rice.
The rice is covered with finely flaked red seabream flesh which had been lightly sweetened beforehand.

The rice again is a mazegihan type/steamed rice mixed with the juices of the simmered red seabream.
Very tasty indeed and no “fishy” background!

As for the side dish, once again: nimono/simmered items/煮物, carrot, lotus root, fuki/giant butterbur stems, burdock root, tofu cake, konnyaku/elephant foot tuber.

The Japanese would never have their ekiben or bento without some pickles!
In this case daikon in umeboshi juice and cucumber!

To be continued…

RECOMMENDED RELATED SITES:
With a Glass,
Bread + Butter, Zoy Zhang, Hungry Neko, Think Twice, Frank Fariello, Mangantayon, Hapabento, Elinluv Tidbit Corner, Tokyo Terrace, Maison de Christina, Chrys Niles,Lexi, Culinary Musings, Wheeling Gourmet, Comestiblog, Chronicles Of A Curious Cook, Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Palate To Pen, Yellin Yakimono Gallery, Tokyo Terrace, Hilah Cooking, More than a Mount Full, Arkonite Bento, Happy Little Bento; 5 Star Foodie; Jefferson’s Table; Oyster Culture; Gourmet Fury; Island Vittles; Good Beer & Country Boys; Rubber Slippers In Italy; Color Food daidokoro/Osaka;/a; The Witchy Kitchen; Citron Et Vanille, Lunsj Med Buffet/Estonian Gastronomy (English), Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat, Chrisoscope, Agrigraph, The Agriculture Portal to shizuoka!

Even if the many ekiben/Raliway bento/Railway Box Lunches at Shizuoka JR Station are all prepared by the same company, Tokaiken Co., they still have to satisfy not only a great variety of individual tastes but also “multiple tastes”.
Some people don’t want rice only or not one kind of the latter.
Shizuoka Monogatari/静岡物語 (Shizuoka Story) is a typical example of an ekiben conceived to satisfy an eclectic customer!

Orange is the official color of Shizuoka Prefecture!

As usual everything is clearly indicated!

No, the picture is not blurry. It is only that the food is protected by a film of hard transparent paper!

Now, what do we have here?

Due to the design of the ekiben I will have to repeat myself!
The rice at the bottom is topped with deep-fried cherry shrimps/sakura ebi, only found in Shizuoka Prefecture!
The spaghetti are peperocino style!

The rice at the right has been steamed with Shizuoka green tea!

Bottom left: Nimono/stewed vegetables: carrot, bamboo shoots, string beans.
Bottom right: Yaki saba/grilled mackerel and sweet beans dessert (called “uguisu mame”)
Top left: Unagi kabayaki/broiled eel with pickled leaf ginger and lettuce
Top right: Maguro Kakuni/stewed tuna cubes, Kuro hanpen/Sardine paste (both Shizuoka specialties)

Bottom right: Shuumai, soy sauce bottle and apricot preserve dessert
Top right: Tamagoyaki/Japanese omelette (containing minced meat) and pickled daikon

To be continued….

RECOMMENDED RELATED SITES:
With a Glass,
Bread + Butter, Zoy Zhang, Hungry Neko, Think Twice, Frank Fariello, Mangantayon, Hapabento, Elinluv Tidbit Corner, Tokyo Terrace, Maison de Christina, Chrys Niles,Lexi, Culinary Musings, Wheeling Gourmet, Comestiblog, Chronicles Of A Curious Cook, Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Palate To Pen, Yellin Yakimono Gallery, Tokyo Terrace, Hilah Cooking, More than a Mount Full, Arkonite Bento, Happy Little Bento; 5 Star Foodie; Jefferson’s Table; Oyster Culture; Gourmet Fury; Island Vittles; Good Beer & Country Boys; Rubber Slippers In Italy; Color Food daidokoro/Osaka;/a; The Witchy Kitchen; Citron Et Vanille, Lunsj Med Buffet/Estonian Gastronomy (English), Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat, Chrisoscope, Agrigraph, The Agriculture Portal to shizuoka!