kyaraben
The latest lunchbox from this girl’s character bento-making dad probably raised a lot of questions at school.
From Pikachu to Totoro, these onigiri rice balls are as cute as they are delicious-looking!
We’ve seen gorgeous character bentos and grated radish animals swimming in hotpot stews, but this winter it’s all about shivering rice cats begging to be covered in bright yellow omelette blankets.
What did you have for lunch today? If you’re anything like me, it was probably nothing special – just something to keep you going until the end of the day. Oh, how wonderful it would be to be blessed with the skills (or a skilled family member) to make outrageously accurate kyaraben, i.e. packed lunches intricately designed to look like various characters! Lunch could be so much more entertaining!
Since not all moms are adept at creating kyaraben, some kids have taken their decorative lunches into their own hands. And by kids, I don’t just mean girls…
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?
While some of us may recall our childhood lunches as a series of soggy sandwiches in boring brown paper bags, two lucky children in Singapore are bound to look back on all their meals as miniature worlds of cute and delicious fun.
It’s all thanks to their mother, who decided to expand her skills beyond the humble bento lunchbox, and bring the cute to any meal of the day. Check out her amazing collection of healthy meals after the jump. It’s the best collection we’ve seen yet!
If you’re at all familiar with bento, you’ll probably know that a lot of people will go all out to create adorable (or just plain amazing) meals for their children— or inner otaku, for that matter. I’ve heard that there is fierce competition to make the cutest lunches (especially for special events like Sports Day) so it’s no wonder that techniques and trends are continually changing, and it seems that the latest fad in lunches is the humble dinner roll.
MOST POPULAR
Now
Ramen restaurant’s English menu prices are nearly double its Japanese ones, denies discriminating
Here’s what our bachelor writers ate over the New Year’s holiday in Japan
Nearly one in ten young adults living in Japan isn’t ethnically Japanese, statistics show
What makes a good boss in Japan? Workers sound off in survey
Feast your eyes on yet more adorable 8-bit GIFs depicting daily life in Japan
Top Japanese cosplayer Enako returns to Comiket after 6 years, creates mayhem with admirers
Expensive Japanese nail clippers: Are they worth it?
Kyoto samurai house wants to share its history of seppuku, torture and gold coins with visitors
Japanese police to use AI to search social media posts for potential terrorists
Village Vanguard’s “dangerous” lucky bag promises thrilling highs and miserable lows
Weekly
Japanese beef bowl chain Sukiya’s 2026 Smile Box lucky bag basically pays for itself
Starbucks Japan ready to get Year of the Horse started with adorable drinkware and plushies【Pics】
Hayao Miyazaki says Happy New Year to Studio Ghibli fans with new art for Year of the Horse
Cup Noodle tries an authentic Jiro-style ramen, but something’s not quite right- Top Japanese cosplayer Enako returns to Comiket after 6 years, creates mayhem with admirers
The best Starbucks Japan Frappuccinos we want to drink again in 2026
We revisited Sweets Paradise after a decade to see if Japan’s dessert buffet still delivers
That time Seiji called JASRAC to ask why he didn’t get paid royalties for his song being on TV
Pizza Hut Japan’s hot lucky bags are perfect for a New Year’s pizza party
Majority of Japanese mayors say foreign residents are essential but most see good and bad effects
Monthly
- Starbucks Japan ready to get Year of the Horse started with adorable drinkware and plushies【Pics】
7-Eleven Japan starts new temporary luggage storage service in over 300 branches
Disillusionment at Tsukiji’s tourist-target prices led us to a great ramen restaurant in Tokyo
Starbucks teams up with 166-year-old Kyoto doll maker for Year of the Horse decorations【Photos】
Tokyo considering law requiring more trash cans following litter increase in heavily touristed area
Tokyo’s Tsukiji sushi neighborhood asks tour groups to stay away for the rest of the month
Tokyo event lets you travel back in time, for free, to celebrate 100 years since Showa era start
Japan may add Japanese language proficiency, lifestyle classes to permanent foreign resident requirements
Sanrio theme park in Japan announces plans to expand into a Sanrio resort
Lacquerware supplier to emperor of Japan and Pokémon team up for new tableware
Yearly
Survey asks foreign tourists what bothered them in Japan, more than half gave same answer
Japan’s human washing machines will go on sale to general public, demos to be held in Tokyo
Japan’s deadliest food claims more victims, but why do people keep eating it for New Year’s?
We deeply regret going into this tunnel on our walk in the mountains of Japan
Studio Ghibli releases Kodama forest spirits from Princess Mononoke to light up your home
Major Japanese hotel chain says reservations via overseas booking sites may not be valid
Put sesame oil in your coffee? Japanese maker says it’s the best way to start your day【Taste test】
No more using real katana for tourism activities, Japan’s National Police Agency says
Starbucks Japan reveals new sakura drinkware collection, inspired by evening cherry blossoms
Updated cherry blossom forecast shows extra-long sakura season for Japan this year
RECOMMENDED STORIES
Top Japanese cosplayer Enako returns to Comiket after 6 years, creates mayhem with admirers
Expensive Japanese nail clippers: Are they worth it?
Kyoto samurai house wants to share its history of seppuku, torture and gold coins with visitors
Japanese police to use AI to search social media posts for potential terrorists
Village Vanguard’s “dangerous” lucky bag promises thrilling highs and miserable lows
Sanrio brings some smiles to Evangelion with new collaboration merch line【Photos】
7-Eleven Japan’s ramen-cooking robot whipped us up a bowl of noodles【Taste test】
Private booths are coming to Japan’s Shinkansen bullet trains even sooner than we’d thought【Video】
Rakuten randomly offers 58 New Year’s osechi feasts in Japan, but did we get a star or a dud?
McDonald’s Japan releases matcha green tea cake, frappes and lattes for a limited time
Chocolate hot spring bath opens in Japan, allows swimsuits, mixed-gender bathing
Sakura cherry blossoms float on breeze, land on Nara deer in perfect hanami video
Latest Japan cherry blossom forecast pushes Tokyo date back, sakura now expected first elsewhere
-
