Origin Bento
2004-08-03

rating:3 of 5

Origin Bento isn't a restaurant it's a take out only place but since I've been here these 3 years in Japan they have grown and grown and gotten more and more popular.

I'd be curious to know if there is any research on the changing eating habits of various cultures. The Japanese have clearly become dependant on the thousands of convenience stores which you can tell by visiting one any time between about 7pm and 12am.

You'll see tons of people of all types. College students, salary men, business women, OLs, you name it standing around trying to decide on their dinner for the night. Well, someone got the bright idea to open a bento shop and serve better food than the convenience store but be just and convenient and better tasting.

Origin Bento is like a takeout salad bar. Above you can see they have about 16 kinds of salads from tomato and eggplant salad to potato salad, tofu salad, okra salad and more. Next to they have a bunch of hot foods, more then 25 types like karaage (fried chicken), meatballs, sweet potatoes, yakisoba, onigiri, fried shrimp, white rice. Everything is priced the same, 150yen for 100grams so you just pile as much as you want in the containers provided, bring it up to the counter and they can ring you up very easily.

Click for larger image

Finally they have over 30 kinds of bento sets you can order and it will be freshly prepared.

It's actually very good. For a while there was one just a block from my apartment. It closed but 2 others opened in its place. They are a little further but one is near the station I use to go to work so if I don't manage to get out to eat it's an easy stop on the way home and I've never been disappointed yet.

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Comments:

[ e ]

do they have gyudon?

posted by jimboAugust 3, 2004 at 9:42

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japanese still have better diets than americans but i bet we will see a shift in the wrong direction in diets, obesity, etc., for the japanese a lil bit in the future.  i was shocked how cheap mcdonalds is and how much and how often people eat out of convenience stores.

posted by kevinAugust 3, 2004 at 14:03

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Combini is not that bad of a way to eat if yer travelling on a budget.  I think for our next trip to Japan, we'll keep an eye out for an Origin Bento!

posted by bunnyAugust 3, 2004 at 15:54

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I prefer hoka hoka bento, myself.  Origin is good, however.

posted by JoeyJoeJoeJrShabaduAugust 4, 2004 at 3:27

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my first meal in japan was a steak dinner from a hoka hoka tei. I was very hungry, having schlepped my nimotsu (which included a Mac IIcx and 13" RGB monitor) from Ikebukuro to Shakujii. DAMN it was GOOD. Probably the best meal I ever ate in Japan.

I left Tokyo in 2000 so I never got to go to an origin. Interesting idea though. pay-as-you go tabehodai...

I lived on am/pm's freezer dinners from 1995-1999. Some of those were plain addictive.

Dammit, I actually miss the food in Tokyo. All they need is a Panda Express and I'd be set to go back ;)

posted by anonymousTroyAugust 4, 2004 at 9:44