{"id":5599,"date":"2026-04-13T20:00:26","date_gmt":"2026-04-14T03:00:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/?p=5599"},"modified":"2026-04-13T20:00:26","modified_gmt":"2026-04-14T03:00:26","slug":"japanese-bento-shop-sells-croquettes-for-13-cents-but-are-they-any-good","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/?p=5599","title":{"rendered":"Japanese bento shop sells croquettes for 13 cents, but are they any good?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

You won\u2019t find food in Japan much cheaper than this.\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFreshly fried! Croquettes for 20 yen<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n

That was the sign that made us do a double-take when we were strolling the streets of Sagamihara City in Tokyo\u2019s neighbouring Kanagawa Prefecture the other day. In this era of ever-rising prices, a croquette for 20 yen (US$0.13) sounded like the thing of dreams \u2013 an unbelievable price that, when you think about it, is even cheaper than cheap candy.<\/p>\n

Needless to say, we immediately stopped for a closer look, joining the queue that had formed outside \u201cKogane Bento<\/strong>\u201c, the store where the sign was displayed.<\/p>\n

\u25bc The shop is located about a 15-minute walk from Sagami-Ono Station on the Odakyu Line.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Taking a look at the menu reveals that croquettes really are on the menu for 20 yen, and that\u2019s with tax included too. Upon closer inspection, we found there were other cheap eats on offer as well, and everything was very reasonably priced.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

As it was lunchtime, we were hungry and in the mood for a bento boxed lunch, but the only problem was\u2026<\/p>\n

\u25bc \u2026there were so many to choose from!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The options covered Japanese, Western, and Chinese cuisine and there was such a wide variety that we began to feel overwhelmed by it all.<\/p>\n

\u25bc The store sells 135 different kinds of bento<\/strong>, and that\u2019s not even including all the limited-time specials.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u25bc Finally, we spotted a bento that stood out from all the others.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u25bc The \u201cMaji Honki de Umai Bento<\/strong>\u201c, which incorporates slang and roughly translates as \u201cA No-joke Seriously Delicious Bento<\/strong>\u201c.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Reduced in price from 650 yen to 500 yen until 31 March, this bento won us over with its charismatic nature so we ordered it. We also couldn\u2019t resist trying some sides, as well as the super-cheap croquette, and after paying for it all we headed over to a nearby park to enjoy everything we\u2019d purchased.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

First up, the Seriously Delicious Bento, which, according to the store, was created in collaboration with a nearby elementary school, so it\u2019s said to be a dream-like meal devised by the children.<\/p>\n

\u25bc So what do the children love?<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u25bc Japanese curry!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Curry is always a guaranteed win, beloved by people of all ages, and this one looked seriously delicious<\/strong>. The extra surprises here, though, were takoyaki (fried octopus balls), fried chicken, and a small sausage, rather unusual partners for curry but all great in their own right, with a floret of broccoli adding colour and vitamins to the indulgent meal.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Upon tasting the curry, we found it to be delicious, with a sophisticated and deep flavour, kind of like a curry served in a first-class hotel restaurant.<\/p>\n

\u25bc This meal may have been devised by children, but there\u2019s nothing child-like about the taste.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u25bc When eaten with fried chicken, the curry became even more seriously delicious.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

After devouring the bento, we were filled with food\u2026and a serious admiration for the children behind its creation.<\/p>\n

\u25bc Now it was time to try the insanely cheap\u00a020-yen croquette<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Splitting it in two to view its contents, we found that this was a simple croquette with no fancy fillings other than a creamy potato mash. Biting into it revealed a delicious flavour that you\u2019d expect from a more expensive croquette, and the fact that it was freshly fried made it even more impressive.<\/p>\n

\u25bc An excellent side dish for a super delicious bento box<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Personally, we felt it was way too good for the 20-yen price point, and if we lived close to the store, we\u2019d be devouring these fried morsels every day.<\/p>\n

\u25bc Those with more expensive tastes can opt for the cream croquettes, which are still a steal at 80 yen.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u25bc The kushikatsu (170 yen) is also superb.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u25bc Inside is\u00a0 a delicious filling of pork and tender onions.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Kogane Bento is an amazing store that defies time with its super-low prices. It\u2019s not just the prices but the flavour and value-for-money that keeps people coming back for more, and although it\u2019s incredibly popular, especially around lunchtimes, the food here is worth lining up for.<\/p>\n

Store information<\/strong><\/p>\n

Kogane Bento \/ \u30b3\u30ac\u30cd\u5f01\u5f53
\nAddress: Kanagawa-ken, Sagamihara-shi, Minami-ku, Sagami-Ono 5-13-1
\n\u795e\u5948\u5ddd\u770c\u76f8\u6a21\u539f\u5e02\u5357\u533a\u76f8\u6a21\u5927\u91ce5-13-1
\nHours: 9:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. \/ 4:00 p.m.-8:00p.m. every day<\/p>\n

Images\u00a9SoraNews24
\n\u25cf Want to hear about SoraNews24\u2019s latest articles as soon as they\u2019re published? Follow us on Facebook<\/a> and Twitter<\/a>!-<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

You won\u2019t find food in Japan much cheaper than this.\u00a0 \u201cFreshly fried! Croquettes for 20 yen.\u201d That was the sign that made us do a double-take when we were strolling…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5599","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-rss"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5599","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5599"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5599\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5599"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5599"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5599"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}