A bento (弁当) is a boxed meal for one. It holds rice, some fish or meat, and a few small vegetable and pickled sides, each in its own compartment. A bento is practical, easy to carry and often quietly beautiful. People take one to school, to work, on the train and on trips, and it is one of the most familiar objects in Japanese daily life.
A short history
Packed meals in Japan go back centuries. In the Middle Ages, travellers and workers carried dried rice. During the Edo period (1603–1868), a long era of peace under the shoguns, theatre fans ate elegant makunouchi bento in the breaks between acts of kabuki plays. Over time, packing a bento became an art of its own. The challenge was to fit a balanced meal into a small box and make it look as good as it tastes. The same idea still guides everything from a convenience store lunch to a box a parent packs at home.
Two icons: ekiben and kyaraben
- Ekiben (駅弁), or "station bento," are boxed meals sold at train stations and on platforms. Each region offers its own speciality, such as crab in Hokkaidō or beef in Kōbe. For many travellers, a local ekiben on a long train ride is half the fun of the trip.
- Kyaraben , or "character bento," turn rice, nori and vegetables into animals, cartoon heroes and smiling faces. Parents make them for their children's lunchboxes as a labour of love, and they have become a small internet craze.
A good bento aims for balance. A popular Japanese rule of thumb fills the box three parts rice, one part fish or meat and two parts vegetables. Cooks also mix cooking methods and colours, so the food pleases the eye as much as the stomach.
Words & idioms to take away
Idioms & proverbs to carry away
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弁当: the characters mostly spell out the sound of the word. People often add the polite prefix and say o-bentō, a warm, everyday way to talk about a packed lunch.
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幕の内 (makunouchi): literally "between the curtains," from the theatre break when people ate it. Today it means a classic mixed bento of rice and many small sides.