character bento

Japanese mom’s beautiful Legend of Zelda character bento brings tears (of the Kingdom) to our eyes

She’s never played a single game in the series, but she’s made one of the coolest works of Zelda fan art ever.

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Gorgeous sheets of Japanese edible color will make your next bento project look incredible【Pics】

They’re also a fun way to trick your kids into eating something healthy.

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Kyaraben collections: Some of the most adorable and funny home-made character bentos on Twitter

These creative Japanese lunches are sure to tickle your fancy (and probably make you hungry too).

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Get a dose of cute in your bento box with this over-sized Star Wars Porg rice ball!【Video】

See how to make what might be the cutest rice ball ever  

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Japanese dad turns daughter’s illustration into her bento lunch

The latest lunchbox from this girl’s character bento-making dad probably raised a lot of questions at school.

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Malaysian mom has internet in awe over her cute culinary creations 【Pics】

You’ll never look at vegetables and rice the same way again.

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Perhaps the most expensive character bento ever has been sold for a fantastic cause

We’re talking about thousands of dollars here!

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Awesome lunch boxes full of Disney’s Tsum Tsum characters are almost too cute to eat!【Photos】

As we expect you already know, character lunch boxes or “chara-ben,” short for “character bento,” are all the rage in Japan. And their creators are rarely shy about sharing their awesome work, so you can find hundreds of examples of how to make lunch time more adorable on social media networks like Instagram and Twitter.

One of the biggest themes for chara-ben right now is Disney’s Tsum Tsum, a line of stuffed toys that has been adapted into a smartphone game by Line. There were so many great photos, we had to compile our favorite Tsum Tsum chara-ben shots from Instagram for you to check out. But don’t forget to grab a snack, because you’re definitely going to get hungry!

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Three years of character bento, Part 3: Countdown to graduation and everyone’s final reactions

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?!

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Three years of character bento, Part 2: Loving, hilarious mom continues to pester teen daughter

Do you remember last month’s piece which chronicled single mom Kaori’s three-year character bento spree? On the surface the project seemed to be about harassing her kyaraben-hating teenage daughter, but we learned that in the end, it was an incredible (not to mention eye-catching!) feat of parental love and dedication.

In Part 2 of this series, we’re going to put the spotlight on more of Kaori’s entertaining creations in tandem with some of her thoughts. And next week in Part 3, we’ll wrap up with the mom’s reaction to her long-awaited book, her “Countdown to Graduation” bentos, and a surprise from her daughter. So, before we get to this devoted mom’s moving, seaweedy words of wisdom and love, let the drool-fest begin! And keep your eyes peeled, you may even find your favorite character!

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Kyaraben roundup! We take a look back at 2014’s best packed lunches 【Pics】

The Kyaraben trend is still going strong in Japan, and even though winter has prompted some to make the temporary switch to deco-nabe, the demand for adorable packed lunches shows no signs of abating. Today we’d like to take a look back over the best of the past year’s Kyaraben. What can we learn about 2014 in Japan from studying these perfect works of edible art?

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