Just Bento

Great news for fans of cute kyaraben, especialy Hello Kitty themed ones: the Hello Kitty bento decorating set that was featured in this post is now available at J-List/JBox! They offer it for $25, which considering the original Japanese price is 1980 yen is not too bad. Now Her Royal Kittiness can invade bento boxes worldwide with consummate ease! Now, can I resist getting a set myself?

(Note: I’m not sure from the description of the product if the second nori punch with the Kassie and Teddy faces is included - although the pictures do show Kassie and Teddy-shaped onigiri with the appropriate nori faces. If this is important to you, you may want to ask J-List if it is included before ordering.) Rita just got hers and let us know that it does include two nori punches!

(Disclaimer: JustBento is a J-List affiliate.) continue reading...

As I posted yesterday, making individual pies in muffin or cupcake liners is a great way to make ‘planned leftovers’ from dinner look neat enough to put into a bento box. As Sile suggested in the comments, if you don’t want to use throwaway paper cups, silicone cups are a reusable alternative. Calphalon makes a nice silicone liner and cupcake pan set which would be perfect for this. The liners are in pretty pastel colors.

You can also use the liners as dividers in your bento, for salads, fruit, and so on. They sell the tin and liners as a set, as shown here, or the liners on their own. Extras might be a good idea to have if you do freeze the food ‘cupcakes’. continue reading...

Good news for bento fans in Europe and the UK in particular: as reported previously, Japan Centre’s online store has expanded their bento box and accessory lineup from Daiso. Accessories are priced at £1.45 to &1.49, and bento boxes like the popular Lube Sheep Dragonfly model are £2.50 - pretty reasonable I think. While Japan Centre, who are based in London, only ship food items within Europe, they do ship non-food items worldwide, Always figure in the shipping costs and shop around for the best deals! See Where to buy bento items. (*Disclaimer: Japan Centre is an advertiser on Just Bento, but I’m also a very happy repeat customer.)

This week I’m going back to the handcrafted bento boxes that I love. The material in the spotlight is bamboo. continue reading...

This week I’d like to address a question that comes up frequently - where and how to buy the bento items and boxes mentioned here as well as on other bento blogs and sites. continue reading...

If you’ve ever bought an inexpensive small bento box at a 100 yen shop or via eBay, the chances are pretty high that it was made by one company, Nakano Co.. They are the ones responsible for the bento boxes carrying the mysterious Lube Sheep logo. After visiting their company web site, I still have no idea what it actually means, and it probably doesnt mean anything at all - it’s just a cute piece of Japanglish that someone in the company thought sounded good. (Yes, I know it sounds a bit dirty, but let’s try not to go there.) continue reading...

An adorable handmade bento bag from Etsy. continue reading...

The minimalist white bento box offerings from Muji. continue reading...

In case you read Just Bento but not Just Hungry - I’m finally embarking on a project I’ve always intended to tackle, but never got around to: putting together a good listing of Japanese grocery stores around the world. I’ll include bento supplies too, since many people who are interested in bento making are also interested in Japanese cooking, and vice versa.

If you have any stores, mailorder sources, and so on to recommend, please head on over here. With your help I’m hoping to assemble a really useful list!

This week for a change the bento box featured is one you can buy easily online on eBay. I’ve chosen it not because the bento box itself is special, but for the design on top, which makes me smile. continue reading...

Vintage/retro aluminum bento boxes from the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s are popular as room accessories as well as for bento. continue reading...

Looking forward to the new year, here’s a juunishi or Chinese zodiac print furoshiki, Japanese wrapping cloth. continue reading...

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Bento item of the week is a weekly feature on Just Bento. This week’s item is this adorable bento box. continue reading...

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Recently, Mark from CalorieLab went shopping armed with a camera in Japan, and took some pictures of the bento supply displays at several stores. He’s very kindly allowed us to share them with you here. So come along for a virtual bento supply shopping trip in some typical stores in Japan. continue reading...

Since I’ve recommended two wooden boxes as the Bento Box of the Week so far, a few people have asked how practical wooden bento boxes are. continue reading...

Magewappa means bent woodware; it’s a traditional hand craft of Odate, which is located in Akita Prefecture in northern Japan. Straight grained pieces of Akita cedar are bent in circular shapes to form the sides of containers. The bent wood is then fastened with a contrasting dark bark or wood strips.

There’s been a resurgence in the popularity of magewappa ware, so it’s made around the country, but this box comes from Akita, where I think the craftsmanship is still the best.

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A quick bit of shopping news for UK and European bento fans: it looks like Japan Centre, who recently teamed up with Japanese “100-yen shop” giant Daiso, is slowly starting to carry more Daiso lunch bento boxes and supplies. See the current list of offerings here. Maybe if they prove popular they’ll carry more bento supplies! continue reading...

Hey, a new series! Every week on or around Wednesday, I’ll be featuring a bento box or bento accessory that has caught my eye for some reason. I’ll try to stick to items that can be ordered online as much as possible, unless it’s something truly exceptional.

Important notice: This bento box can be selected as your prize in the Menu for Hope drawing! continue reading...

It’s that time of the year again. Here are some Christmas and holiday gift ideas for the bento maker in your life, or even someone who’s just thinking about making bento in the new year. Perhaps that person is you, in which case you could use this as a list for Santa to refer to. I’ve made some suggestions in all price ranges, because you never know how generous Santa is feeling. continue reading...