Are you confused about what material is most appropriate for bento boxes? Plastic is easy available, or maybe you want something greener - but is the extra cost worth it? Here's a handy comparison chart to help you make the right choices.

You've browsed the bento blogs and flickr bento groups, and while you know that any appropriate box can be used for bentos, you're hankering after a 'real' bento box. But bento boxes aren't that cheap, especially if you're ordering by mail. How do you know you're getting a box that's the right size for you?

You may have read what bento box sizes are considered appropriate for kids, women, men and so on. But that's advice given for traditional-style Japanese bento meals, where about half of the capacity or more is taken up by tightly packed rice. If you'll only be toting Japanese style lunches those recommendations are fine, but if you plan to mix it up with salad bentos, sandwich bentos and more, then the box-capacity recommendations may not apply to you.

So how can you really tell, before you spend the money for a bento box, if it's the right size for your specific needs?

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.

[I've substantially updated this article recently to answer some emailed questions about bento accessories and so on, so here it is again for your reading pleasure. Originally posted in August 2008.]

I recently got an email from a Just Bento reader concerning the plastic used to make bento boxes. She was concerned, since she couldn't read the Japanese writing on the packaging. I'm sure a lot of other readers have similar concerns, especially given recent scares reported in the media about plastic containers leaching chemicals into food and beverages. Keeping in mind that I am not a scientist or expert, just a concerned consumer just like you, here's what I've been able to find out by doing some research on various Japanese as well as English-language web sites.