Lunch

High angle close up of Bento box with traditional Japanese foods and chopsticks on a wooden table.

What’s in Your Bento Box? (John- pick one of the Bento images)

Bento boxes are lunchboxes, much like the type of box you take your lunch to school in.

They are made out of plastic and come in many different shapes, like squares, circles, or ovals. The box usually has many smaller sections inside that keep different foods apart.

In Japan, children bring their food to school in these boxes. In America, you will often see a type of bento box at Japanese restaurants and take-out bento boxes are available in grocery stores selling Japanese food.

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Typical bento box fare includes rice, meat, salad and pickles. Long ago in Japan, lunches were wrapped in oak, magnolia, bamboo leaves. Later, wooden boxes were used.

Many designer bento boxes, as well as boxes decorated with popular cartoon characters, are sold today.

Teriyaki salmon with spicy green and yellow beans

What’s in your bento box?
Mmmm! I see your mom packed some teriyaki (marinated chicken, fish or beef) in one of your bento box compartments! Sometimes she includes a few Onigiri (sticky rice ball) wrapped inside a sheet of nori (dried seaweed) with the teriyaki pieces.
LEARN MORE ABOUT SUMMER FOOD

Various sushi on black table.

Maybe you’ll find some different kinds of sushi (vinegared rice with fish or vegetable topping or filling) for lunch, perhaps with sashimi (raw fish) and a little bit of wasabi (green spicy horseradish). Easy to eat with your O-hashi (chopsticks)!
LEARN MORE ABOUT SUSHI

Edamame

(John, pick one of these Edamame images)

Wow! Your mom packed some edamame (green soybeans) as a snack! She also sliced some kyuri (Japanese cucumber) and arranged them very prettily in the box for you.

Cooked Green Organic Edamame with sea salt against a background

LEARN MORE ABOUT JAPANESE VEGETABLES

Kagami mochi

(John, pick one of these New Years Images)

For the New Year, your mom might pack some lucky Oshogatsu foods like mochi (pounded rice cake), shrimp, and ozoni (soup with mochi) in your lunch!!
LEARN MORE ABOUT MAKING MOCHI

Japanese matcha and original flavor mochi or daifuku dessert on a white serving plate

and about the THE JAPANESE NEW YEAR