Bento - Part 1
Do you know what a Bento (弁当) is? No? Then allow me to explain it. (-:
A bento is like a lunch box, a single-portion takeout or home-packed meal. It’s common in Japan. A traditional bento consists of rice, fish or meat, and one or more pickled or cooked vegetables.
A bento is not only made at home. You can buy bento in train stations, convenience stores and special bento shops. It is common for Japanese wifes to spend a lot of time to make bento to their children, husband or them self.
Bento can be very elaborately arranged in a style called kyaraben. Kyaraben means character bento. Kyaraben is typical decorated to look like different anime characters or video games. Another type of bento is called oekakiben. Oekakiben means picture bento, which is decorated to look like people, animals, buildings or flowers. Contests are often held where bento arrangers compete for the most aesthetically pleasing arrangements.
This is what's a traditional bento is like.
This bento is a kyaraben. The decoration show us Kuchiki Byakuya, a charactar from the famous anime show Bleach.
And this one is a oekakiben. You can see it by the flower and the ladybird.