So you are planning a trip to Japan. You want to stock up on bento boxes and accessories. Where should you go? There are stores to cater to many needs and budgets. Note that this guide is biased towards the Tokyo metropolitan area, but the general principles apply to other areas of the country.

The best time to shop for bento products

The school year in Japan starts in April, so mid-February to early April or so is the big period for school supply shopping. Many young people who graduate from high school or university in March move away from home and start their new lives in April too. Mid-March to April is also the time when people go out in droves to appreciate the cherry blossoms (o-hanami), with picnic bentos in tow. So this is the big time for bento goods. You'll see a big selection and lots of discount deals around. However, you can buy bento goods at any time of the year, especially at the specialist stores.

Cheap and cheerful: 100 yen shops

If you are looking for the most inexpensive bento boxes and supplies available, then head towards a 100 yen shop. This is the Japanese equivalent of the 'dollar store' concept in the U.S. (See how much 100 yen is in US dollars at current exchange rates). Not everything sold at a 100 yen shop is 100 yen (some bento boxes for example are 200 or even 300 yen), but the vast majority of things are. At a 100 yen shop, you will find everything from bento boxes to utensils, picks to wrapping cloths (furoshiki), water bottles and more.

Tip: Bento boxes are typically located in both the kitchen supplies area and the 'character goods' area, so remember to look in both places.

100 yen shops are located all throughout Tokyo and many other metropolitan areas. Major chains include:

• Daiso ダイソー　(limited store listing in English complete listing in Japanese. Daiso has been opening stores in North America and Asia recently too. Their lineup of bento products doesn't differ that much in Japan.
• Can Do キャン・ドゥ　(store listing in Japanese) They have been opening stores in China recently it seems, but have yet to expand elsewhere.
• Seria (store listing in Japanese). My favorite 100 yen shop - more below.
• Natural Kitchen ナチュラルキッチン　(store listing in Japanese). A limited number of stores in major metropolitan areas. As the name implies, they specialize in kitchen products.
• Lawson 100 and Shop 99 - I'm not sure if they have merged, but they seem to share the same web site anyway. Limited bento supplies, but they do sell a lot of 100 yen foodstuffs and such. Operated by the kombini (convenience store) company Lawson. (store listing in Japanese).

Most 100 yen shops are located within shopping malls or department stores. (You can also find other one-price-for all shops such as 300 yen shops, 500 yen shops, and so on.) Most of them sell the same products from the same manufacturers, especially Nakano Co. (see more about their bento boxes such as Lube Sheep and puti fresh). Savvy bento supply shoppers will already be familiar with these from various online sellers.

I've visited at least one branch of the stores listed above. My favorite is Seria - they have a nice selection of bento related products, as well as a lot of other cute or interesting kitchen, craft and bathroom supplies tht might appeal to the typical bento-ing fan. I've seen lots of cute picks, utensils, wrapping cloths and drawstring bags, and more there. The stores all have a bright, open feel and good selection of products. The one negative thing about Seria is that their bigger stores are out in the suburbs, more often than not in shopping malls that are not that easily reached by train. Their Tsutsuchigaoka store and their Yokohama Center Minami store are located close by a train station however (the latter one is the one I go to the most; I've also been to stores in the Machida area, where my sister lives).

My second favorite store is probably Natural Kitchen. Their bento supply selection is not that big, but they do have quite a lot of cute things for the kitchen and elsewhere to gawk at.

Daiso and Can Do are rather similar. I get the feeling that I've seen all their stuff already - if you live in an area with a Daiso store, or have visited one, I don't really see any reason for you to make a trip to a Japanese Daiso unless you really want to. Prices are a little cheaper in Japan than they are elsewhere, which is a plus of course. I've visited both small and large Daiso stores, including the biggest one in the Kanto (Tokyo metropolitan) region, which is near Machida station.

Note that a 5% consumption tax (equivalent to VAT or sales tax) is added on to your purchase, so a 100 yen item will actually be 105 yen.

Supermarkets

Any midsize or larger supermarket has a section dedicted to bento supplies. For instance my local Aeon/Jusco store has an aisle for character-oriented kid bentos, as well as one for more grown-up, restrained bento supplies. Prices are higher than at 100 yen shops - a typical character-adorned bento box, suitable for a child or someone with a small appetite, costs around 1000 to 1500 yen. Adult-sized bento boxes are around the same price.

Department stores

For regular bento boxes and goods, look in the kitchen goods area of a department store. The selection of goods they carry varies from store to store. If a department store has a LOFT store or a 100 yen shop in the building, their own kitchen supply department may not have that much to offer in the way of bento supplies.

Many department stores also have a traditional Japanese crafts department, and they also periodically hold regional fairs on their 'special events' floor. These are the places to look for high end, traditional bento boxes such as magewappa, lacquerware, and so on. Kyoto, Nishi Nihon (western Japan) and Tohoku (northern Honshu) themed regional fairs are most likely to have some really nice bento boxes around. (Takashimaya, Isetan and Matsuya tend to have really nice regional fairs, but other department stores have them too.) The bamboo picks below were on sale at a regional Kyoto fair held at Sogo department store.

Must stops for bento supply fans: LOFT and Tokyu Hands

The two stores that have big, dedicated bento supply sections are LOFT and Tokyu Hands. Both chains maintain stores within department stores or shopping malls, as well as standalone stores. If you only have time to go to one or two stores for your bento needs, you should seek out a LOFT or Tokyu Hands.

If I had to choose one or the other just based on their bento supply selection, I would lean towards LOFT. However, Tokyu Hands is such a fun store to browse through anyway, I would really recommend you try to get to both.

Bento boxes sold at these stores range from around the 1000 yen range to 5000 yen and more for wooden boxes. The average is around 1500 to 2000 yen. All kinds of bento boxes for all ages and genders are available. Most of the boxes are plastic, but are more durable than the 100 yen shop type. Brands that you may recognize include Hakoya, Yellow Studio, Gel-Cool, Prime Nakamura and Aizawa Kobo. You'll also see a wide variety of accessories, utensils and bento making goods that you won't see sold by international online stores (especially eating utensils). The kitchen supply areas are worth browsing through too, for an abundance of cute and unusual gadgets.

• LOFT store listing in Japanese. The big (大) stores in the Tokyo area are in Shibuya, Ikeburukuro, Kichijoji, Yokohama (in Kanagawa)　and Omiya (in Saitama). I've been to the Shibuya store (a standalone store on Inogashira Do-ri) and the Yokohama store (on the 7th floor of the huge Sogo department store, directly accessible from the Higashi (East) entrance of Yokohama station). The bento section is a bit bigger in Shibuya, but the Sogo department store has the advantage of having a Muji store right next to it. Besides bento things, LoFt has stationery and office supplies, art supplies, cosmetics, toys, snack foods, bath supplies, and gifts. The constantly playing theme music will drive you batty. Bring earphones.
• Tokyu Hands store listing in Japanese. I've been to the Shinjuku, Shibuya and Yokohama stores - all standalone stores, They are all about the same size. The Machida store, which occupies the 6th and 7th floors of the Tokyu Twins building (right near the Machida station, South entrance), is a typical store-within-a-store; it has a slightly edited version of a standalone Tokyu Hands, but the bento department was still well stocked. Besides bento things, Tokyu Hands stores have kitchen supplies, craft supplies, stationery, gifts, and home improvement items.

Other places to buy bento boxes and accessories

Muji (Mujirushi Ryohin) carries 2 basic bento box models, a flat, large one and a narrow, stackable one, in black or white. I like these a lot and use the white one in particular far more often than the rest of my bento boxes put together. They have matching black or white chopsticks with cases too. Muji products are a lot cheaper in Japan than at their overseas stores. Most Muji stores are located within or right next to department stores.

You will often find unique bento boxes at stores dedicated to zakka (雑貨 - a catchall term for 'things' or 'stuff' - acccessories for the home, fashion stuff, kitchen supplies, etc...), boutiques, kitchen supply stores, and the traditional kanamono-ya (金物屋）or hardware and home supply store. Be on the lookout!

If you chance upon a crafts fair, you may find stalls selling wooden or bamboo chopsticks, accessories and bento boxes. Again, if you are into traditional crafts, be on the lookout for the regional fairs at the major department stores.

If your objective is bento boxes bearing the image of a specific character such as Hello Kitty, go to a 'character goods' store. Sanrio has stores in most of the major department stores as well as standalone stores　(list of main stores in Japan in English). I don't know if the Sanrio amusement park Puroland has bento boxes, but I'm sure they have plenty of other character goods for sale. Character-bento boxes can also be found at LoFt and Tokyu Hands; a few are also found at the 100 yen shops. I found some bento boxes and cute chopsticks at Tokyo Disney Resort, both at Disneyland and DisneySea - such as these Mickey Mouse hands chopsticks:

How about Kappabashi?

You may have heard about Kappabashi, the famous kitchen supply wholesale area in Tokyo. Is this a good place to go for bento supplies? If you are looking for the type of bento box used in restaurants (shokado bento), with the compartments and the flat lids, or perhaps a special wooden lacquerware box, then yes. But if you're looking for that cute little Mameshiba box you saw online, then no - you should head to LOFT instead. However, Kappabashi is a fantastic place to go if you're just into kitchen stuff, not to mention those famous plastic/wax restaurant food display models (warning: these can be expensive). You can find things of interest to bento-crafters such as interesting cookie/food cutters and so on. Note that prices for retail customers at Kappabashi stores are not cheap.

How about konbini (convenience stores)? Don't they have everything?

Konbini stores are all about things that people need urgently - and most people do not urgently need a bento box. So, konbini do sell ready-to-eat bentos, but in terms of bento making supplies the only things I've seen stocked are disposable inner cups and basic picks. (My local 7-11 did have a Winnie The Pooh bento box set for sale for a while but I think that was just a limited-time special.)

Where and what to get? Maki's biased opinions

Personally, I don't like the quality of the bento boxes sold at 100 yen stores. You do get what you pay for, I believe. However, 100 yen stores are great for picking up accessories like picks (which tend to break after a while anyway), as well as disposable items like paper or aluminum cups. You can also find some character-goods for cheap - for instance, I saw an Elmo bento box for only 100 yen at Seria. I do notice that often, the same item would be sold at a 100 yen shop and a LoFt or Tokyu Hands - except that at the 100 yen shop, there would be fewer items in a pack (for instance, fewer picks or cups) than at the regular-price shop. If you have time, try to comparison shop!

If you are concerned about buying things that carry the Made In Japan label - since, after all, you are visiting Japan - then you won't find much to buy at a 100 yen shop. Most of the bento boxes sold at LOFT, Tokyu Hands, and better department stores are actually made in Japan, whether they are made of plastic, metal or wood. The accessories such as picks and cups are usually made elsewhere, usually in China.

Finally, if it's in your budget, you may want to take a look at a real wooden magewappa and lacquereware bento boxes, as well as ones made of woven or solid bamboo, that you will encounter at the regional and craft fairs as well as some specialist shops. These traditional handcrafted boxes are a work of art as well as being practical boxes. The box below is a handcrafted bamboo box from a specialist store in Kyoto. It's expensive and needs to be taken care of, but it's such a pleasure to hold and behold.

Map of stores that sell bento goods and other things of interest

I have put together a Google Map of some of my favorite bento and other shopping destinations in the Tokyo-Yokohama area. (Note that I like crafts and stationery stores more than fashion-clothing stores or anime figurines and such.). It's a work in progress, so please be patient :).

I've also started working on a Kyoto map, to accompany my Postcards from Kyoto series over on Just Hungry - the first in the series is up there now.