Ekiben (駅弁) (Railway boxed meal) - The new fast food for growing cities?

I was in Japan for two weeks in November and I had the opportunity to savour a whole load of different Ekibens (駅弁); Ekiben or Railway boxed meal are essentially bento boxes which are sold at train stations all over Tokyo. I was really amazed by the quality of these bento boxes; they were intricately designed with immaculate packaging and on the inside, the food was just picture-perfect. Some Ekibens also came with in-built heaters where at the pull of a string, hot steam would rush out heating the food contents.

Rich seafood Ekiben from Takayama and Kanazawa  

So I thought to myself could Ekibens be the future for to-go or takeaway cuisine in big and growing cities? They are extremely convenient, tasty and relatively affordable (averaging 800 – 1200yen). It is reasonable to assume that in bigger cities such as New York, Singapore, Shanghai and Sydney, there might be a sizable demand for these high-quality bento boxes. If so? Why is it so popular in Japan but not so much in other countries?

For the concept of Ekibens to work it all boils down to a number of factors:

• The availability of food delivery 24/7
  I lived in New York City for over 4 years so I can say this with some credibility, but in New York rather than buying a bento from the store I would find myself ordering delivery or picking up some pasta from the neighbourhood bodega. Granted I do purchase packets of sushi from time to time (usually from Dean&Deluca in SOHO), they, in no way come close to the level of perfection found in the Ekibens which I’d experienced during those long bullet train rides and even in my hotel room.
• Availability of cheap local food
  Now I live in Singapore and there is an abundance of cheap local food here. Would I pay SGD10 for a boxed meal when I can get a packet of chicken rice for SGD4.50? I doubt it, it’s not so much the culture of Singapore that does not permit there not being a market here, but rather it’s the high cost and the overall construct of the Ekiben which makes it feel like it should be eaten in a restaurant rather than at home or on the go. Maybe the majority of Singaporeans aren’t ready to pay the price for outstanding food at home? At who eats on the subways here!? It takes at most 3 minutes between stops and Singapore is really tiny.
• Train or traveling culture
  So that brings us to traveling culture; apart from in Japan, Europe and maybe India, I don’t think any other countries has as comprehensive a railway system. You could liken Ekibens to chargeable in-fight meals but that’s an appalling comparison. Perhaps there’s a market for interstate road-trips if freeways weren’t littered with fast food restaurants.

So would Ekibens ever work as a successful food business concept outside of Japan? I doubt it… However, there is a glimmer of hope in Shanghai, with the massive infrastructure that they are building up in China and the way Shanghai has developed as a city; being the hub of many satellite small towns.
I can see it now, business office workers rushing back home with a bento box filled with chilled meat paos. Upon reaching home they pull the string on the bento boxes to steam-heat the paos then kickback to relax, switching on the TV, opening a cold beer and munching down on the freshly heated, moist buns. That’s one business concept worth exploring.
What’s your take on the business of Ekibens? What do you think?