BENTO

Overview

In Japan, there's a bento - a box packed with delicious seasonal foods - for almost every occasion. Maku-no-uchi bento are enjoyed at events like kabuki theatrical shows and sumo matches, whereas eki-ben are sold at train stations to hungry travelers. These days, people are even arranging the food in bento boxes into cute character designs. Art director Mitsuhiro Tomita is our guest this week as we take a look at Japan's long tradition of bento.