Torihei Honten

**Eat in rather than take away.** The boxes are designed to be good at room temperature and they are, but the restaurant serves the same chicken hot over fresh rice, and the difference is not small. The ground-floor tables take walk-ins; the upper floors are reserved for booked groups. **Bamboo or pine.** Take (bamboo, ¥850) is breast meat only — leaner, and the version most people grew up on. Matsu (pine, ¥1,000) adds thigh and is richer. If you are ordering one to try, take is the reference version. **It travels.** A takeaway box is the single most practical thing to carry onto a train in Gunma, and unlike most station bento it is a local institution rather than a product made for tourists. The takeaway counter opens an hour before the restaurant. **Branches are everywhere, so use one.** There are shops throughout Gunma and in Saitama and Tochigi. If Maebashi is out of your way, the food at a branch is the same — the head shop is worth the trip only if you want the restaurant floors and the original site. **Closing days are not consistently published.** Hours are stable but rest days vary by location. Phone ahead if this is the sole reason for a detour.