Kyaraben charaben character bento, iyagarase, harassment bento, ttkk blog Kaori

Since March is the month for graduations in Japan, the final part of this series will focus on the character bento mom’s “Countdown to Graduation” bentos made for her younger daughter in high school, along with another round of familiar characters! (If you missed the past two posts, you can find them here and here).

As the telltale cherry blossoms get ready to bloom, and as young folks all around Japan prepare to close a chapter in their lives so that they can embark upon a new one, Kaori cooks up lunches that are full of not only protein and attitude but also parental advice for the future! We’ll also share some information on her book, her last thoughts regarding the immense project, and—wait, is that a token of appreciation from her laconic yet demanding daughter?!

Previously, we left you with the bento message from a hilariously hard-boiled version of Doraemon, so here’s another toughie: Duke Togo, from a popular manga series that was first published in 1968 and is still going strong.

▼ May 8. 2014—The sniper from Takao Saito’s award-winning series Golgo 13 asks, “No present yet?” I hope mom received a birthday gift, because I’d hate to be menaced by this marksman.

golgo 13 no birthday present?

And another not-so-subtle hint from a pair of octopuses that exclaim, “Gimme!”

▼ Sept 18, 2013—Kaori: “I went with Vuitton today… I’m not obsessed with brands actually; I’m just out of ideas.”

Louis Vuitton designer Kyaraben charaben character bento, iyagarase, harassment bento, ttkk blog Kaori

A minion from Despicable Me holds a flag that says, “Cultural Festival.” Rut or no rut, mom had to get ready even earlier than usual this day because her daughter had to report to school for preparations by 6 a.m., and on a Saturday, no less. I think we feel sorry for both of them! If only she had minions that would whip up lunches once in a while. How ‘bout it, Stuart? Or is that Steve?

▼ Sept. 21, 2013—Kaori: “Teacher, please, you’re kidding me… I work nights on weekends!” 

Despicable Me, minions, Kyaraben charaben character bento, iyagarase, harassment bento, ttkk blog Kaori

▼ Sept. 27, 2013—A couple of days later, she mentions that her daughter had a few days off from school after its festival ended, and that finding her kyaraben groove is especially difficult after such breaks. Racking her brain for an easy idea, she finally comes up with Charlie Brown and Snoopy but muses that they look a bit off. Don’t worry, they definitely hark back to Peanuts from the 50s!

Charlie Brown and Snoopy, Peanuts Kyaraben charaben character bento, iyagarase, harassment bento, ttkk blog Kaori

Unfortunately, Kaori can’t catch a break even on no-lunch days because this next one laments, “If you don’t need bento, then tell me >_<”

▼ Dec. 17, 2014—Kaori: “She has been coming home relatively early because it’s exams week, but I had no idea that she didn’t need lunch. I’ve been making bentos in the cold kitchen every morning, and she’s been eating them at home! Was it on purpose? Or did she take the bentos because she felt bad about forgetting to tell me?”

Kyaraben, charaben, character bento, message lunch, iyagarase, harassment bento, ttkk blog Kaori

Despite such annoyances, mom discloses in her final blog entries that she was able to keep going without giving up because as a busy single mom, she always felt like she was unable to do anything for her kids. This was the least she could do to show her love and she writes, “The bentos are filled with all sorts of emotions and thoughts towards you.”

So, for the child who has been wanting to go to Universal Studios Japan for the new Harry Potter theme park, she infuses this next bento with a little magic: “Wanna go to USJ!”

▼ July 15, 2014—Kaori: “I know you’ve been wanting to go, so I hope you can at least enjoy a taste with this! A family vacation would be so great T_T”

Harry Potter, Universal Studios Japan, USJ, Kyaraben charaben character bento, iyagarase, harassment bento, ttkk blog Kaori

 Now, let’s take a look at the graduation bentos! Interestingly, high school graduation seems to be held in late January rather than the usual March on the island of Hachijojima, where the family resides.

“Countdown #3: Don’t think that everything will go your way!” Mom starts off by delivering some tough truth nuggets to her teen who’s always demanding, “Drive me someplace, come pick me up, bake me this, make me that.”

▼ Jan. 22, 2015—Kaori: “No one will indulge you in the harsh world that’s waiting for you!!! I want you to get chewed up, tossed around by it, and grow up!”

graduation countdown message, lunch, Kyaraben charaben character bento, iyagarase, harassment bento, ttkk blog Kaori

“Countdown #2: When you think something is pointless, give it your all!” Mom divulges that her daughter has a habit of not attempting anything that she deems meaningless and a waste of time, an unproductive attitude no matter what your age.

▼ Jan. 23, 2015—Kaori: “Aren’t you just trying to slack off when you assume things like that? Try something! Take action! You never know until you try, and someday you’ll realize that it wasn’t such a waste of time.”

graduation countdown message, lunch, Kyaraben charaben character bento, iyagarase, harassment bento, ttkk blog Kaori

“Countdown #1: Realize your dreams!” Her final bento of wisdom imparts a message that’s easier said than done of course, but we can always use a reminder. She believes that people with dreams are always sparkling, and that it’s a beautiful thing to keep running towards them. She’s also worried, though, because her taciturn daughter’s dream recently switched from pro dancer to bartender, and wonders, “That’s a service industry job! You hardly talk; will you be able to do it?”

▼ Jan. 26, 2015—Kaori: “Dreams aren’t something you have at night; no matter what anyone says, make them come true! Let me drink a cocktail you make one day. ”

graduation countdown, dream, message, lunch, Kyaraben charaben character bento, iyagarase, harassment bento, ttkk blog Kaori

Needless to say, on the last day of her bento mission mom experienced strong emotions on both ends of the spectrum, the exhilarating “It’s finally over!” and the melancholy “I won’t be making them anymore…” That’s probably why she goes all out and excitedly makes a triumphant lunch that could feed at least four high school girls (by the way, that’s four slices of processed cheese on top of that rice in the next photo!)

The masterpiece reads, “This shows that you continued to eat harassment bento every day for three years. To commend your perseverance, I present to you this award.” Mom deserves an award too, don’t you think? Look at that scrollwork!

▼ Jan. 27, 2015—Kaori: “After you graduate I want you to experience a lot and learn a lot. But before that, make plenty of fun memories during your final days of high school. Tear it up! Also, you’ll never be able to eat all of this! Isn’t my harassment awesome to the very end?”

graduation countdown message, lunch, Kyaraben charaben character bento, iyagarase, harassment bento, ttkk blog Kaori

In a follow-up blog entry, mom reveals that her daughter was rather miffed when she saw the size of this lunch before she left for school that morning. And though mom eagerly anticipated feedback in the form of a text at least, sadly she didn’t receive any; that’s a blow to any creator!

But what’s this? It looks like the normally moody daughter gave her mom a flower arrangement later that day! Kaori writes, “I was elated because I thought she was thanking me but all she said was, ‘We just made it in class,’ in a cold tone. Whatever, I’ll just assume that it’s a show of appreciation!”

▼ “I-it’s not like I made it for you or anything!” Aw, you so tsundere.

graduation countdown, flowers from daughter, Kyaraben charaben character bento, iyagarase, harassment bento, ttkk blog Kaori

It only stands to reason that an undertaking this fantastic would become a book, right? Kyo mo Iyagarase Bento (Another Day of Harassment Bento) can be found at Amazon.co.jp for 1,080 yen (US $8.90), where it’s quickly climbed to the #1 spot in the Essays category. On her blog, Kaori thanks her readers for their support and even as she holds the finished product in her hand, she writes that she still can’t believe what started out as a small personal project would culminate in such a beautiful book.

▼ Kaori: “This arrived today! My hands are shaking… I’m tearing up. I’ve always wanted to leave my daughters something while I still lived with them, but I never imagined anything like this.”

Kyaraben charaben character bento, book, iyagarase, harassment bento, ttkk blog Kaori

Of course, whenever mom mentions the blog or book deal, all her daughter say is, “Invasion of my privacy.” On that note, we leave you with one last photo that proves Kaori is still in top form. Even at home the harassment lunches show no signs of stopping, and that’s just how her fans like it!

▼ Moai statues stonily announce, “Book deal. No privacy, right?

Kyaraben charaben character bento, moai statues, easter island, iyagarase, harassment bento, ttkk blog Kaori

Sources: ttkk no Iyagarase no Tame Dake no Obento Blog via Grape, Wikipedia
Images: ttkk no Iyagarase no Tame Dake no Obento Blog