I went to Japan (Bento post)

Several weeks ago we returned from our fast paced trip to Japan.  And life hasn't been the same since!

I had all of these ideas for posting and intentions of posting.  And never did it.  Life.

Bento boxes/lunches is the first topic on my list. 
I'd seen a few books on Bento boxed lunches and I read a few blog posts about them.  These are two books on my wish list...

With my kids by my side, we googled bento lunch images and spent hours admiring all of the creations.  So, I added to my list of Japanese purchases...bento boxes and supplies!

I also did a little research before we left @ Lunch in a Box and Just Bento...

What is “bento”? Is it the style of packing? Is it the box? Is it the food?

A bento lunch is a compact, balanced, visually appealing meal packed in a box. Historically, it’s a Japanese box lunch, similar in concept to the Indian tiffin, the Korean dosirak, or the Filipino baon lunch. In Japanese, “bento” or “obento” refers to the packed meal, and “bento-bako” refers to the bento box itself. See the Wikipedia entry on bento for more details.

What are the benefits of packing a bento-style lunch? Is it healthier?

Bento lunches seem to be becoming more popular in North America recently.

• Packed in reusable containers, they reduce lunch waste such as plastic baggies and disposable containers, and allow you to pack a wider variety of food for lunch.
• Portion control is also easy if you follow the general packing rule of thumb of 3 parts carbs, 1 part protein and 2 parts fruits and vegetables, without candy, junk food or oily foods. Packed this way without gaps, a 600ml box holds a 600-calorie meal — a simple method for weight loss without counting calories.
• Picky eaters may be tempted by an attractive presentation of a variety of foods.
• Save money you might have spent on restaurant meals by bringing food from home; the savings from less than a week of eating packed lunches makes up for the initial cost of a bento box or lunch container.

 While in Japan, we purchased several different bento boxes (even a Star Wars one!!) and all kinds of different supplies...tools to shape your rice, cutters to punch out faces from cheese, lunch meat, seaweed (which my kids surprisingly enjoy), fun little toothpicks, paper liners to separate foods, etc...Most of these supplies could be purchased at the 100 Yen store or Daiso so it didn't break the bank (unless you went a little crazy...and maybe, just maybe, I did that).  And too bad the closest Daiso store is near Seattle...

The kids were so excited and even attempted to make their own bento creations the day after we returned.  I, however, have not even touched the supplies!  Like I said...life.  But I'm ready to jump back in.  I think this will be my first creation (kid friendly, easy and fun!!)...
Halloween Bentos

 (I don't know why the cookie cutter body just cracks me up...and my kiddos thought it was the best.)

Anyone out there "bento"? 

(And Kim, I didn't see one single brown bag lunch while in Japan and we did see LOTS of students.  I'm sure all of their lunches weren't "cute" but this is how they really do lunches.)