日本のよいものを世界へ

Founded in Kaei 3 (1850)

Boxed bentos that carry on the irreplaceable Edo-style taste to the present day

This is the oldest existing boxed-bento specialty shop in Japan — Nihonbashi Bensō Main Store. Since the time when the fish market was in Nihonbashi, it has satisfied the appetites of Edo people who love good food.

Bento names remain the same as in the old days — “Namiroku” and “Namikashi-shichi” named after the box size, “Shirozume” filled with white rice, and “Akazume” with red rice. If it’s your first time, “Namiroku” is the standard choice.

When you open the sealed wrapping paper, a gentle forest scent unique to wooden sheets spreads out.The wooden-sheet box made from thinned lumber is an eco-friendly packaging that is kind to the planet.

When you open the lid, it is filled with side dishes that bring a rush of nostalgia.The rice packed in the wooden box stays pleasantly chewy and never sticky even when cold, because the wood absorbs excess moisture.Whether it’s white rice, red rice, or flavored rice like octopus rice or scallop rice, you’ll find yourself scraping every last grain off the wooden sheet with your chopsticks.Why is it so delicious?

Sweet-and-salty simmered vegetables with plenty of sugar and soy sauce, juicy tamagoyaki soaked with broth, kamaboko, ginger and kelp simmered spicy-salty, teriyaki fish, and finally very sweet sweet-potato kinton.There are several theories for why the flavor became so bold — to make the food keep longer, because proud Edo people spared no expense on costly sugar, to give high-calorie strong flavor for the laborers of Edo, or because Edo people simply disliked weak flavors and loved strong ones.

Each side dish is seasoned with a perfect sweet-and-salty balance — the true “taste of Nihonbashi Bensō,” a one-and-only flavor refined by generations of craftsmen who have devoted themselves to the pursuit of deliciousness.

That is why many customers say “It has to be Bensō” or “I suddenly crave it,” and recently its charm has been spreading to younger generations through social media.

History

In Bunka 7 (1810), Yoichi Higuchi from Echigo founded a dining place called “Higuchiya” at the fish market in Nihonbashi.Later, to help the busy workers at the fish market, leftover dishes were wrapped in wooden sheets or bamboo skins for them to take home — this became the beginning of Bensō’s boxed bento.In Kaei 3 (1850), during the era of the third owner, Matsujiro, the business became a boxed-bento specialty shop and took the name “Bensō.”It is said to be the first boxed-bento shop in Japan that still exists today.

Please enjoy the rich flavor that has been loved by the people of Edo.

Mr. Junichi Higuchi

The 8th-generation owner of Nihonbashi Bensō Main Store

Some people are surprised at first, but this strong flavor is exactly what makes Bensō unique.We share information online and through social media so that more people can learn about Bensō’s worldview and dedication.We receive many wonderful comments such as “I want to try it” and “I never knew that story.”

This Notable Item

Namiroku

The standard bento “Namiroku” can be chosen with white rice, flavored rice, or red rice (the photo shows the red rice bento, 1,350 yen).The side dishes include the three main ones mentioned above, plus sweet simmered vegetables, teriyaki fish, kamaboko, and sweet-potato kinton.Seeing how the side dishes are beautifully arranged in the unpartitioned wooden box feels like witnessing the perfect form of a Japanese bento.

Tamagoyaki, Tsutobu, and Spicy-Simmered Ginger and Kelp

Here are three of Bensō’s signature side dishes.First is “Tamagoyaki,” made with plenty of dashi and baked to a moist and tender finish.“Tsutobu” is soft and chewy raw wheat gluten wrapped in a bamboo mat (tsuto) and simmered sweet.The last is “Spicy-Simmered Ginger and Kelp,” sharply seasoned with soy sauce to blend spiciness and umami, tightening the overall flavor of the bento.These three dishes let you clearly feel the unique flavor balance of Bensō.

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