Just Bento

Hi everyone! I am still in hospital, but am feeling a lot better and spending most of my day sitting up instead of lying like a sad floppy seal in bed. And most of all, I have my laptop and internet access! I can’t post much in the way of bentos and recipes until I get out, but I do have some things that I was working on before I had to have my emergency surgery.

These days, there are some great dedicated sellers of Japanese bento boxes that can be relied upon to bring you the best of what is available in Japan (see the sidebar for some of the best, who are also smart enough to sponsor JustBento ^_^.) Still, I do like to keep an eye out for non-traditional boxes and containers that can be used for bentos. Here are three such boxes. continue reading...

(Originally published in April 2008, and updated substantially.)

A very frequently asked question is where and how to buy the bento items and boxes mentioned here, especially in the Bento Item Spotlight (formerly Bento Item of the Week) feature, as well as on other bento blogs and sites. I’ve listed you several options, which I hope will be useful.

Look locally first

As much as I love online shopping, I believe in shopping at your local stores first. You’re supporting your area’s businesses, and you don’t have to pay shipping costs. Besides, it’s arguably a bit better for the environment (especially if you take public transportation!) since the goods have already travelled to your area.

You might argue, “but I don’t have any stores near me that sell bento stuff!” I don’t either. But it’s always possible to find alternatives for lunch boxes, dividers, picks and other accessories. As I wrote in one of the earliest articles on this site, it’s not necessary to buy a box that is labeled as a Bento Box in order to bring bento lunches. You can use cupcake cups, paper or silicon, as bento dividers, picnic utensils, and so on. Check out the Bento Gear Flickr pool for a lot of creative ideas from fellow bento enthusiasts. continue reading...

When I saw this unusual looking lunchbox via the delicious bento tag stream, my first thought was, “Wow, that looks so cool”. The Goodbyn™ Lunchbox is a one-piece, molded plastic container with fitted lid, that looks like an odd/cute (or in anime parlance, kimo kawaii) space alien or animal. continue reading...

I really, really don’t need any more bento boxes. But when I spotted these incredibly adorable little onigiri boxes, I just couldn’t resist.

Since I have adopted them, it’s a good opportunity to show how to use this type of single-onigiri box. continue reading...

This week’s bento box is an example of a type of bento box which is designed to hold onigiri or omusubi (rice balls) securely.

While onigiri are very portable, they can get smashed around if you just carry them loose, and fitting them in a regular flat bento box can be a bit awkward sometimes. This is where the onigiri bento box comes in. continue reading...