Awaji-ya, Kobe’s ekiben store, and Savvy magazine collaborate on “Gapao

　On September 22, Awajiya (Higashinada-ku, Kobe; TEL 078-431-1682 ), a bento box lunch store in Kobe, began selling “SAVVY GAPAO HIPPIDAKO-MESHI,” its second collaboration product with SAVVY, an information magazine published by Keihanshin L Magazine.

The wrapping paper of “SAVVY Gapao Hippippippadako Meshi

　Savvy was launched in 1984 as a “lifestyle magazine for enjoying Kansai. It provides information on lunches, sweets, cosmetics, and outings in the Kansai region.

　When featuring Kobe, Savvy noticed that Awajiya had collaborated with Godzilla, Hello Kitty, and other celebrities to produce its signature ekiben, “Hittaridako-meshi,” a type of rice boxed meal. The two companies agreed to collaborate to create a new type of takomeshi by expressing the cuisines of the world in these globalized times.

　The first product received a response that exceeded Awajiya’s expectations, and sold out every day. Yuki Yanagimoto, vice president of Awajiya, said, “We received many happy comments from customers about how delicious it was. The popularity of the product led us to develop a second version this year,” he reveals.

　The ceramic container for the second batch will be original with the Savvy logo, and the contents will be the first attempt at the Thai dish “Gapao. The restaurant’s chef and Savvy’s editorial staff ate their way through Thai restaurants in the Kansai region, and after much research, they completed the dish. The dish is characterized by “the gorgeous aroma of jasmine rice,” “the fresh aroma of basil,” and “the aroma of the broth of octopus umami.

　Mr. Yanagimoto said, “Hippippattadako Meshi” was developed to commemorate the opening of the Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge connecting Kobe/Akashi and Awaji Island in April 1998, and since its release, a total of 15 million units have been produced, making it the biggest hit among all Heisei-born ekiben. This year marks the 120th anniversary of the ekiben shop’s founding, but with the development of collaborations over the past few years, it is no longer a “tsuboya? The variety of octopus jar-style containers has increased over the past few years, to the point where it is not surprising if people say, ‘Isn’t this no longer a jar shop?

　The price is 1,380 yen. The number of units sold will be 3,000 (the sales will end as soon as they are sold out). In addition to sales at Awajiya stores, the store’s online store also offers local delivery.