TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Japan Railway Group companies and "ekiben" makers are joining forces to have the boxed meals sold at train stations across Japan registered as an intangible cultural asset.

Ekiben makers are facing the threat of extinction. High-speed train travel and the proliferation of convenience stores have reduced their numbers to just 20 percent of their peak, according to a group official.

These boxed meals hold cultural value because they preserve local cooking methods and ingredients. This year marks the 140th anniversary of ekiben, and JR companies, along with producers of these "on-the-go" meals, are seeking to highlight their significance and help revive the tradition.

The skin of the conger eel sizzles, its sweet glaze filling the air with a mouthwatering aroma as it bubbles on the grill.

Inside a glass-fronted kitchen at a shop within JR Hiroshima Station, Hiroshima Ekibento Co., founded in 1901, prepares and sells its famous conger eel ekiben, carefully placing the grilled eel over rice in a single container.

The initiative to register ekiben as an intangible cultural asset was proposed in 2023 by Yoshifumi Okuyama, a section chief in the railway culture promotion department at West Japan Railway Co., while he was seconded to Hiroshima Ekibento.

Hearing company representative Kazuo Nakashima remark that "ekiben that offer local specialties are a culture, while convenience stores that provide uniformly tasty bento across the country are a civilization" inspired Okuyama to study the tradition more deeply and pursue its preservation.

The proposal was endorsed by the Cultural Affairs Agency as a project to support in fiscal 2024. In a report, Okuyama noted that, unlike some local cuisines that have vanished due to ingredient shortages, ekiben have maintained their flavors and cooking methods even while changing production regions for ingredients.

Okuyama also found through consumer surveys that ekiben allow people to experience local dietary cultures, while traditional local dishes, which take considerable time to prepare, are increasingly rare at home.

The report helped Nakashima recognize ekiben's role in preserving local cuisines. "Ekiben can be considered a railway asset, and I will pass them on to the next generation," he said.

According to the association of ekiben makers and other companies operating at JR stations, membership reached around 400 in 1967.

At that time, Japan's population topped 100 million, and railway use surged, partly because large groups of junior high and high school graduates from rural areas moved to cities for work.

Today, membership has fallen to 82. Trains now stop at stations for shorter periods, and vendors are no longer found on platforms.

Rising prices for rice and other ingredients have also made business difficult. For example, Hiroshima Ekibento discontinued its popular "Shamoji Kakimeshi," a rice paddle-shaped bento with fried oysters and oyster rice, in September 2024 due to rising oyster and container costs.

However, Kiyoken Co. in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, known for its "shumai" steamed dumplings, and six other popular ekiben makers have joined the project.

In addition to JR West, other JR Group companies -- from Hokkaido to Kyushu, including East Japan Railway Co. and Central Japan Railway Co. -- are cooperating by displaying panels about ekiben history and local dishes at station shops.

"We, as railway operators, should make use of ekiben as a new means of attracting people to local stations," Okuyama said.