The "Hitokuchi Darake" bento box from "Tsugaru Sozai" (Hitotsuya, Goshogawara City) is currently attracting attention at X for its "happiness in choosing."

The bento that has been garnering attention is packed with 24 types of local Tsugaru region dishes, including squid mince, sushi, and wakaoi rice balls. On December 6th, an account named "Muranaka" posted "Hitoguchi Darake" with the caption "(omitted) I'm so happy to eat while thinking, what is this, this is especially delicious." As of December 9th, the post has been reposted over 2,600 times and liked over 14,000 times.

According to the company's president, Nobuhiko Shimokawahara, "Hitokuchidarake" began selling in October 2016 and has frequently been a topic of conversation on television and social media. It first started to attract attention after winning both the Presentation Award and the Ekiben Ichiban Award in the JR East Ekiben Aji no Jin 2019 voting project. It has been featured more often on nationally-broadcast television, and the number of internet users posting about it on social media has also increased.

The company, which operated as a delicatessen store, entered the manufacturing and sales of ekiben in 2010 when Shin-Aomori Station on the Tohoku Shinkansen line opened. Using their manufacturing capabilities as a delicatessen store, they made 10 kinds of ekiben, but they ran into an issue of spending too much time and money, and came up with this new product. "The previous president came up with the product by combining the side dishes in the 10 kinds of ekiben," says Shimokawahara.

Since there were 50 kinds of side dishes, the bento itself was completed quickly, but it looked bad and the packaging could not be decided. That's when he set his sights on a high-end chocolate box. "I saw it as a souvenir or something and it gave me an idea. It had dividers so it was easy to divide into small portions and it looked good. This time it was difficult to choose 24 kinds," Shimokawahara said. He also said, "I chose things that were regional and could be eaten with alcohol."

Due to the limited number of units and sales time, it has been called the "phantom ekiben," and ekiben enthusiasts have praised it for being fun to choose. Shimokawahara, who often checks the reactions on social media, said with a smile, "It has gone viral many times, but it is an opportunity to know that our thoughts are being conveyed to consumers. Every time I hear people relying on it for alcohol or enjoying it with the train window, I feel happy and refreshed."

The price is 1,500 yen and it is sold at the Tsugaru Shinkokai in Hirosaki Station, the Bunanomori Bento Shop in Shin-Aomori Station, and the Ekibenya Matsuri in Tokyo Station.