Box meal弁当[ Bento ]

Bento (弁当, bentō) is a single-portion takeout or home-packed meal common in Japanese cuisine. A traditional bento holds rice, fish or meat, with pickled or cooked vegetables, usually in a box-shaped container. Containers range from disposable mass produced to hand crafted lacquerware. Bento boxes are readily available in many places throughout Japan, including convenience stores, bento shops (弁当屋, bentō-ya), railway stations, and department stores. However, Japanese homemakers often spend time and energy on a carefully prepared lunch box for their spouse, child, or themselves.

from Bento (Wikipedia) CC BY SA 3.0

Advice about Bento (box meal)

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Vegetarian/Vegan in Tokyo: Bento Bonanza! images

Vegetarian/Vegan in Tokyo: Bento Bonanza!

Unsurprising for an island nation, most of Japan's cuisine is laced with fish... including those incredibly appetizing bento you can see in convenience stores and department store delis.For strict vegetarians and vegans, this can be a bit trying. But no fear! The health food chain Natural House…(134 words)

Chiara image

Chiara

Hott Motto has a good Makunouchi bento series images

Hott Motto has a good Makunouchi bento series

Hotto Motto is a takeaway bento chain. I've heard "Hotto" has the double meaning of "hot" and "hotto-suru" (to feel relieved). I like their Makunouchi(幕の内) is a popular type of Japanese bento which consists of fish, meat, pickles, eggs and vegetables along with rice and an umeboshi. Though t…(105 words)

EmiOnishi image

EmiOnishi

Kyara-ben or chara-ben Culture images

Kyara-ben or chara-ben Culture

It is a shortened form of character bento. As Autumn is season for sports festivals in Japan, it comes up in our conversations between moms. Moms decorate homemade food to look like cute characters in order to make their kids happy and their lunches more appealing.If you’re interested in seeing…(222 words)

EmiOnishi image

EmiOnishi

Where to Find a Tasty Japanese Bento in Japan? images

Where to Find a Tasty Japanese Bento in Japan?

I had a wonderful taste of Miyagi, Hiroshima and Kyoto before I reached Fujisawa just 30 minutes later on the Tokkaido line from Tokyo station. I splurged on the green car for a very relaxed and private meal and let me tastebuds have a party. If you a planning a 30 plus minute ride on a train from …(79 words)

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Make Bento & Visit Bonsai garden - Unique & Amazing experience images

Make Bento & Visit Bonsai garden - Unique & Amazing experience

Japan is a small island nation.Perhaps because of that, they have a gift for to make the original small world.Bento and Bonsai.This experience will be a good chance to know Japan.In the Bento making, You can learn tips of design Bento.Bonsai is a Japanese art form using miniature tree…(133 words)

nyaonyao image

nyaonyao

SUKEROKU images

SUKEROKU

When I don't have a clear idea of what type of food (bento) to buy, I always choose SUKEROKU bento.It is simple bento, kind of Sushi without raw fish.As you see the picture, two kinds of sushi are in.One is NORIMAKI, rolled by seaweed, inside : Kanpyo, brown color, cooked vegetable, boi…(137 words)

Moo Moo image

Moo Moo

Food Delivery Systems of Japan images

Food Delivery Systems of Japan

With the engaged city life that many may find while living here in Japan, city problems are to arise. One of these problems that may occur may well be food; how to get it, pre-cooked and prepared, organic, gluten-free, and so on. Although the concept of food delivery is nothing novel, in Tokyo, the…(446 words)

Alex image

Alex

Tell me about Japanese Undokai (Sports days) images

Tell me about Japanese Undokai (Sports days)

School Sports Festival for Kids! Anyone can be a hero on this day. It’s also a day for Dads to fight!For some kids, it will be an important day to determine his or her position in the hierarchy of class. The event will also strengthen the unity of each class. For Dads, it will be a day to f…(379 words)

totowatanabe image

totowatanabe

Hanami Dango (Three-color dumpling) images

Hanami Dango (Three-color dumpling)

Sanshoku Dango (dango of three colors)is a skewered dango formed of one pink dumpling, one non-colored white dumpling and one green dumpling. Each color has a meaning : cherry blossom in spring, snow in winter and grass in summer. Wagashi (Japanese sweets) is one of the wonderful Japanese culture d…(67 words)

OKAKI-sun image

OKAKI-sun

Bentos from 7-11, Ito Yokado, OK stores images

Bentos from 7-11, Ito Yokado, OK stores

'Bento' is a take-out meal for lunch or dinner available in all parts across Japan. Although traditional bento contains rice, meat, fish and japanese pickles, it has evolved into various types, proportions and cuisines. You can find bentos serving other cuisines such as Italian, Chinese, Indian, et…(142 words)

Samir Bodhe image

Samir Bodhe

Touge-no-Kamameshi and Daruma Bento images

Touge-no-Kamameshi and Daruma Bento

I would recommend Touge-no-Kamameshi and Daruma Bento from Gunma prefecture. They can be purchased at Nagano Shinkansen stations. They are assortments of traditional Japanese foods in a small ceramic pot (Kamameshi) or Daruma shaped plastic bento box (Daruma Bento). These containers can be reus…(70 words)

Asiantiger image

Asiantiger

Hanami images

Hanami

Hanami is the Japanese traditional custom of enjoying the beauty of flowers and people eat “bento” and drink alcohols under the trees. Every television and newspapers share the blossom forecast early March each year, which shows how hanami is a cherished annual event for the whole nation. T…(95 words)

Daijo image

Daijo

Popular Pocky! images

Popular Pocky!

Long sweet cookie sticks dipped in chocolate or other flavors - Pocky is an institution in Japan. The most famous are just straight up cookie and milk chocolate- but there are lots of other flavors, and regional specialties. There are even some versions that are only seasonal. they come and go once…(98 words)

LShannon image

LShannon

Nabe parties and Barbecue parties. images

Nabe parties and Barbecue parties.

Japan has a big restaurant industry with all kind of cuisines of the world, besides many good 24 hour options of packaged food from convenience stores, bento shops and super markets. More over as Japanese homes, especially in Tokyo, tend to be small, home parties are not so common and people tend t…(210 words)

Sanjeev Sinha image

Sanjeev Sinha

KURI-GOHAN! images

KURI-GOHAN!

My favorite food during the autumn is kuri-gohan, which is sticky rice mixed with sweet chestnuts and red beans. The stickiness of the rice and the sweetness of the chestnuts go perfectly together. It tastes even better if you sprinkle some salt or sesame seeds! I definite food you must purchase or…(86 words)

RieS image

RieS

Tokyo and Shinagawa station, "All that shellfish" images

Tokyo and Shinagawa station, "All that shellfish"

"品川名物貝づくし" ("shinagawa meibutsu kai zukushi")Actually, I never had it, but I can tell it must be good.5 kinds of cooked shellfishes on rice and veges.Sold at Tokyo and Shinagawa Station, 930 yen.(32 words)

Moo Moo image

Moo Moo

Graze the department stores images

Graze the department stores

In the B1 of most department stores there are amazing prepared foods, breads, snacks, bento boxes, great to eat in a hurry OR to take home for a high quality already cooked meat. The Isetan in Shinjuku has one of the best b1 food areas in Tokyo, Also LOVE the one in the new Daimaru building in …(77 words)

LShannon image

LShannon

Enjoy Japanese department stores basements ! images

Enjoy Japanese department stores basements !

You might associate a Japanese word “department store” with expensive stores, but every Japanese department store has its own depachika and all of which are crammed with attractive shelves containing a wide range of foods from a delicious bento box to gorgeous sweets yet for reasonable prices. Aisl…(308 words)

fujimorison image

fujimorison

Japanese-style depachika food courts images

Japanese-style depachika food courts

Japan has the most elegant restaurants as well as vending machines and convenient stores selling snacks and beverages on seemingly every corner. Somewhere in the middle on the gourmet scale are the food courts of the big department stores. Usually they are located in the department store basement a…(314 words)

David image

David

Good Travel in Japan Includes Good Lunch images

Good Travel in Japan Includes Good Lunch

Make lunch one highlight of your days in Japan, because food is an important and celebrated part of travel in Japan. Japanese guidebooks introduce foods, cafes, restaurants, bentos, and food souvenirs to buy for your families, friends, and colleagues. Model day trips usually consist of visiting…(542 words)

David image

David

Eating and drinking in Japan on a budget images

Eating and drinking in Japan on a budget

Go out for lunch“Make lunch one highlight of your days in Japan ... Select a special lunch set at a sushi bar or traditional Japanese restaurant. You can expect to eat an exquisite selection for less than half of what you would pay at dinner time. These lunch sets are a good option if you want …(464 words)

DeepJapan image

DeepJapan

"Okowa" is a must-eat! images

"Okowa" is a must-eat!

My favorite Bento place is “Tagosaku,” often found in the basement of big department stores or near the train stations. “Okowa” is Japanese mocha-gome (sticky rice) with various vegetables or beans. I love eating the “gomoku-okowa,” which is the sticky rice with a variety of vegetables and chicken …(91 words)

RieS image

RieS

Recommendation at a convenience store images

Recommendation at a convenience store

I personally would recommend the obentos. The obentos sold at convenience stores such as 7 Eleven, Lawson, Family mart have very nutritious selection of bentos. You will always find at least one dish of vegetables, meat and rice. They are all very fresh as well. You could get a bento everyday and y…(75 words)

Jules image

Jules