JR East opens voting for its 15th Ekiben Aji no Jin station-bento contest
JR East's station-bento popularity contest returns for a 15th year with 50 entries from its own network and nine outside prefectures, adding a stamp-collecting app and a band tie-in to drive voting traffic through the concessions that dot Japan's busiest railway.
JR East said it will hold the 15th edition of "Ekiben Aji no Jin" (station-bento "Battle of Tastes"), its annual contest promoting regional bento boxes sold at its stations, with voting open from October 1 to November 30 and results announced in December, according to a release.