JR Ueno Station’s “Ecute Ueno” will finally complete its approximately two-and-a-half-year renovation in November 2025! From souvenirs to travel companions, we’ve got you covered for the New Year! A special feature on classic sweets, recommended bento boxes, and authentic eat-in options.

We'll introduce you to a diverse lineup of products, including panda souvenirs that can only be purchased here, recommended winter bento boxes to eat on the Shinkansen, and eat-in options where you can enjoy authentic sushi while traveling.

We will be introducing classic sweets, bento boxes, and eat-in menus recommended for the New Year holidays at Ecute Ueno, an in-station shopping facility at JR Ueno Station operated by JR East Cross Station Development Company, Ltd.

Ecute Ueno will undergo a two-and-a-half-year renovation starting in 2023, with all shops set to open on Tuesday, November 18, 2025. The renovation was based on the concept of "Everyday Jibun-style," aiming to create a station-based shopping mall where customers can enjoy new discoveries and discover new things in their daily lives and find their true selves. There are 67 permanent shops operating across a wide variety of genres, including sweets, bento boxes, bakeries, general goods, eat-in areas, and even a clinic inside the station.

To celebrate the first New Year's holiday since its reopening, we're introducing the even more appealing classic sweets and recommended bento boxes at Ecute Ueno, including panda souvenirs that can only be purchased here and recommended winter bento boxes to eat on the Shinkansen. In addition, the eat-in shop, where you can easily enjoy a variety of flavors between trips, offers authentic sushi, udon noodles from specialty shops, and even vegan ramen. Be sure to find your favorite!
≫ "Ecute Ueno" official website

Topic.1: Carefully selected sweets from new shops opening in 2025! Perfect as souvenirs

A charming sweets shop opened in April on the third floor inside the JR Ueno Station ticket gates, offering a wide range of sweets, from the perfect souvenirs to take home to enjoy every day. They also have panda-themed souvenirs and sweets that are unique to Ueno.

Exclusive to Ecute Ueno ★ Opening April 2025
PANDA #pf8 1 box (8 pieces) 1,680 yen / Frian's Gallery (inside the ticket gate, 3rd floor)

★The popular "Salted Caramel Financier" has a mellow sweetness and a deep flavor with a strong caramel aftertaste.

The baked goods shop, which opened in Ginza in 2022 with the concept of "adult financiers to enjoy with wine," is now offering its most popular "Salted Caramel Financier" in a petite heart-shaped size. The packaging, featuring a newly designed illustration of a panda, a symbol of Ueno, by artist Ryohei Matsumoto, is also appealing.

Exclusive to Ecute Ueno ★ Opening April 2025
Panda donut : 529 yen per donut / Donut Mori (inside the ticket gates, 3rd floor)

★A panda peeks out from the chewy doughnuts that take three days to make! Cute Ueno-exclusive doughnuts

With the desire to deliver something that is not only cute but also delicious, the panda part is made using Italian meringue, butter, and white chocolate, and finished with a light yet rich special cream. The cream is made without vegetable oils and is delicious even at room temperature, making it a perfect match for the donut.

Exclusive to Ecute Ueno ★ Opening April 2025
Panda cocoon robe: 237 yen per piece / Ginza Kanraku (inside the ticket gate, 3rd floor)

★Panda branded on the pancakes! "Steamed Dorayaki" is the perfect souvenir!

From the Japanese confectionery shop that makes the most of the flavor of the ingredients, we recommend Mayugoromo, which is branded with a panda and is only available at the Ueno store. This steamed dorayaki is made with light and fluffy dough and filled with flavorful Hokkaido bean paste.

Exclusive to Ecute Ueno ★ Opening April 2025
Marble Tarte 918 yen / A La Campagne (inside the ticket gates, 3rd floor)

★A limited edition tart with an eye-catching marble pattern inspired by pandas

This specialty tart shop was founded in Kobe in 1991. The panda-inspired tart, available only at Ecute Ueno, is made with fresh cream and chocolate in a marbled pattern, and the inside is a chocolate sponge sandwich filled with custard cream and banana, creating a crispy, fragrant tart.

Exclusive to Ecute Ueno ★ Opening April 2025
Mini Premium Poundcake ( 6 pieces) 1,934 yen / Rain (inside the ticket gates, 3rd floor)

★The only place in the Kanto region where you can buy this mini-sized "Premium Pound Cake" made with carefully selected ingredients from Hokkaido.

This brand was born from the desire to convey the appeal of Hokkaido ingredients through baked goods. We recommend the Ecute Ueno-exclusive version of their signature "Premium Pound Cake," which allows you to enjoy the rich flavor of fermented butter. It's baked in an easy-to-eat, small size, making it the perfect size to share with family, friends, and coworkers. We hope you enjoy the deliciousness of Hokkaido.

★Opening in April 2025
One Jiichiro Baumkuchen (approximately 14.5cm diameter) 2,600 yen / Jiichiro (inside the ticket gate, 3rd floor)

★Moist and fluffy! Baumkuchen that shows off the craftsmanship

This shop offers sweets such as baumkuchen, based on the concept of "stacking happiness." Their signature product, baumkuchen, is a masterpiece of artisanal skill, with a moist texture so soft you don't need a drink and a fluffy cake-like texture. The artisans are always on hand, checking the condition of the dough and adjusting the heat, slowly baking thin, rare layers to create the moist texture.

Topic 2: Must-Buys from Newly Opened and Renovated Shops in 2025! Recommended Winter Bento Boxes to Eat on the Shinkansen

In 2025, Ecute Ueno will open a variety of bento shops, including sushi from a brand exclusive to the store, a long-established sukiyaki restaurant, Korean cuisine, and a Nagoya Cochin specialty store. Be sure to find your favorite bento and take it with you on your trip or when you go home.

Exclusive to Ecute Ueno ★ Opening April 2025
9-piece set of nigiri sushi "Benkei" 1,545 yen / Sushi Sado Benkei (inside the ticket gate, 3rd floor)

★A nigiri set that allows you to easily enjoy Sado Koshihikari rice and Sado's famous toppings from a sushi and seafood bowl specialty store that is only available at Ecute Ueno

The rice is made with Sado Koshihikari rice, a specialty of Sado Island in Niigata Prefecture, and is packed with carefully selected ingredients such as raw bluefin tuna, Sado's famous horse mackerel and nanban (sweet shrimp), real snow crab, and red sea bream, Niigata's representative white fish.

Exclusive to Ecute Ueno ★ Reopening in November 2025
Kuroge Wagyu Beef (Ecute Ueno Exclusive) – 1 Beef Rice Bowl ( 1 Serving) – 1,944 yen / Asakusa Imahan (Inside the ticket gates, 3rd floor)

★A bento box exclusive to Ecute Ueno from the long-established sukiyaki restaurant "Asakusa Imahan"!

The rich flavor of Japanese Black Beef, carefully simmered in a secret sauce, is served in a "tiered" bento box. Asakusa Imahan's unique flavor allows you to fully savor the deliciousness of high-quality meat, creating a special moment.

★Reopening in November 2025
Premium Taimeshi Makunouchi (sea bream rice) made with wild red sea bream selected by experts from Ofunato Fishing Port, Iwate Prefecture, 1,390 yen / Tsukada Farm OBENTO & DELI (inside the ticket gate, 3rd floor)

★You can also enjoy rice cooked in natural red sea bream broth and chicken nanban made with young chicken!

This bento box features wild red sea bream caught at Ofunato Fishing Port in Iwate Prefecture. The plump, steamed red sea bream is tender even down to the skin, and has a luxurious flavor full of umami. The rice is made with Akita Komachi rice from Ogata Village, Akita Prefecture, and is carefully cooked in a mellow broth extracted from wild red sea bream. This highly satisfying bento box also includes popular dishes such as "Young Chicken Nanban."

★Opening in November 2025
Two Kinds of Kimbap Colorful Set Meal 1,080 yen / Hanbizen Express (Inside the ticket gate, 3rd floor)

★It's also great as an hors d'oeuvre for everyone to enjoy! Packed with popular Korean dishes

Hanbizen Express is a bento and side dish shop that offers healthy Korean home-cooked meals, including kimbap (Korean seaweed rolls) and chijimi (battered pancakes), made with plenty of vegetables. This popular bento is packed with the delicious flavors of popular Korean dishes, including kimbap, chicken, and japchae, all packed with vegetables.

★Opening in November 2025
Shio Koji Fried Chicken Bento ( 1 box) 900 yen / Tori Sanwa (Inside the ticket gate, 3rd floor)

★A carefully prepared fried chicken bento from a long-established restaurant that has been serving chicken since 1900

This bento box contains fried chicken marinated in a salt-based sauce and salt koji, resulting in a moist and tender texture. It also includes a sweet omelet made with generous amounts of Nagoya Cochin eggs, creating a satisfying taste. Enjoy this carefully crafted bento box from a chicken specialty store.

★Reopening in November 2025
Pork loin cutlet bento ( 1 fold) 999 yen / Tonkatsu Maisen (inside the ticket gates, 3rd floor)

★ A classic bento from a famous restaurant known for its "soft pork cutlets that can be cut with chopsticks"

This popular pork cutlet bento box allows you to enjoy a simple yet delicious pork loin cutlet. Served with side dishes of kinpira burdock and shiso hijiki seaweed, this easy-to-eat bento boasts Maisen's tender pork loin cutlet, a flavor that is popular with people of all ages.

Topic 3: Picks from new and renovated shops opening in 2025! Authentic eat-in menus to enjoy while traveling

Exclusive to Ecute Ueno ★ Opening April 2025
Three types of tuna (otoro, chutoro, lean) 990 yen (eat-in only) / Standing Sushi Sado Benkei (inside the ticket gates, 3rd floor)

★ Fresh and delicious sushi served at reasonable prices in a standing buffet style

This popular shop uses "Sado Koshihikari," a specialty of Sado Island in Niigata Prefecture, for its rice, and its skilled chefs prepare sushi right before your eyes. The set allows you to easily compare different types of tuna: otoro, which offers the rich flavor of bluefin tuna; chutoro, which has just the right amount of fat and umami; and lean akami. They also have a selection of Sado sake, making it perfect for a quick drink.

Exclusive to Ecute Ueno ★ Opening October 2025
Special curry udon 1,000 yen (eat-in only) / Oniyanma (inside the ticket gates, 3rd floor)

★A popular udon specialty restaurant that produces its own noodles and broth, and sources most of its ingredients from Kagawa Prefecture

With the motto "Udon – Japan's greatest fast food," this udon specialty restaurant strives to spread the appeal of udon by serving delicious, fast, and affordable udon. The curry udon, available exclusively at Ecute Ueno, is a bowl of udon that features a generous portion of beef belly topped with fried tofu and shredded spring onions, allowing you to enjoy a variety of textures and flavors.

★Opening in October 2025
Tonkotsu boiled egg 1,000 yen (eat-in only) / TOKYO Tonkotsu BASE MADE by Ippudo (inside the ticket gate, 3rd floor)

★ A pork bone ramen restaurant from Tokyo produced by Hakata Ippudo

This creamy and mellow bowl carefully brings out the natural umami of pork bones. Its deep, rich flavor without any impurities and its well-balanced taste will keep you coming back for more until the very end are its charms. This signature ramen, which adheres to the classic formula, is topped with the ever-popular boiled egg.

★Reopening in October 2025
Golden Sesame Tantan Noodle Special (wheat noodles) & Fortune Veggie Boiled Dumplings Set 2,520 yen (eat-in only) / T's Tantan (inside the ticket gates, 3rd floor)

★A next-generation vegan ramen shop that is healthy and environmentally friendly

The most popular dish is the golden sesame tantanmen noodles, topped with juicy and fragrant roasted vegetable pork and melted cheese made with soy milk. It has an amazingly rich and creamy flavor. We also recommend the vegetable boiled dumplings, which come in a positive color that will make you feel happy. Enjoy the chewy and bouncy texture of the skin and the juicy flavor of shiso.

≫ "Ecute Ueno" official website

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The information posted is current as of the time of release and is subject to change.
Images are for illustrative purposes only. Prices include tax.

JR East Cross Station Development Company Ltd.
Company name: JR East Cross Station Co., Ltd.
Headquarters: South Gate Shinjuku Building 6F, 5-33-8 Sendagaya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Established: April 1, 2021 (Reiwa 3)
President and CEO: Nishino Fuminao
Capital: 4,101 million yen (100% subsidiary of JR East)

About the Development Company:
Aiming to create attractive station spaces that meet a wide range of station needs, we are developing station commercial facilities such as "ecute" and "Gransta." We aim to further enhance the appeal of station spaces while taking into consideration the location, culture, and regional characteristics of each station. We will also strengthen collaboration with partners and actively work to coexist with local communities and collaborate with them.

Main facilities operated: Ecute, Gransta

[JR-Cross] Press release