What is a Chara bento?

Character bento, or charaben, is a type of bento that features food decorated and styled to look like people, animals, characters from cartoons, etc. Character bentos started as a way for parents to encourage their picky kids to eat a wider range of foods, especially healthy food.

Why is Kyaraben important in Japanese culture?

A bento box is a packed lunch box, and an important part of Japanese lifestyles. “Kyaraben” are bento box lunches that are made to resemble characters from anime, manga, games and more. Some kyaraben portray characters so accurately, that they look like works of art.

What is the purpose of Kyaraben?

Kyaraben was originally intended to whet children’s appetites and make vegetables and other ingredients more interesting for them to try. Kyaraben has become so popular that national competitions are held where enthusiasts compete for the most aesthetically pleasing arrangements.

What is bento or Kyaraben?

Kyaraben or charaben (キャラ弁), a shortened form of character bento (キャラクター弁当, kyarakutā bentō), is a style of elaborately arranged bento (Japanese boxed lunch) which features food decorated to look like people, characters from popular media, animals, and plants. Japanese homemakers often spend time devising their …

What are the different types of bento boxes?

Types of Bento

• Marukonouchi Bento. Prepared by a caterer, these are the two-section bento boxes typically found in convenience stores, supermarkets, and department stores.
• Koraku Bento.
• Hinomaru Bento.
• Aisai Bento.
• Ekiben.
• Kyaraben.
• Types of Bento Lunch Box Containers.

What does the bento box represent in Japanese culture?

Nowadays, the Japanese bento is the symbol of picnics (usually during the Hanami season) and of parties, as packed in advance, elaborated, dishes that are very convenient for large groups of people. But beyond the convenience of a prepared meal, it stands as an essential communication tool in Japanese society.

What do Japanese people eat for breakfast?

Combining starches, light, healthy proteins, and umami flavors, a typical Japanese breakfast typically include several small dishes, such as:

• Mixed rice with either ikura or uni.
• Eggs with furikake.
• Pickled vegetable salad.
• Grilled fish.
• Miso Soup.
• Natto.
• Miso for seasoning.

What’s in a Japanese bento box?

What is a Bento Box? A bento is a single-portion boxed meal usually composed of a carb (usually rice or noodles), a protein (usually meat or fish), and an assortment of pickled or cooked vegetables.

What is the difference between bento and obento?

What is a bento? Bento (written 弁当), or obento (お弁当) to use the honorific term, is the Japanese word for a meal served in a box. Beyond that basic definition though, just about anything goes as to what kind of box or container is used, as well as what is put inside that box,.

How did the word bento originate?

The word bento is originated from the Japanese language which means lunch box. During the fifth century, Japanese man used to carry compact meals so called Bento when going fishing and hunting. Through that period Bento boxes contained white rice, millets and potatoes.