Symbolic of the Japanese New Year, this bento depicts Mount Fuji and the first sunrise of the New Year. Left of Mount Fuji is a “kadomatsu”. Directly translated as “gate pine”, this decorative arrangement of pine and bamboo is said to be placed in front of gates to welcome in the gods.

Tips for Making

Create Mount Fuji by cutting its shape out of a thin omelet and kamaboko fish cake. Make the bamboo portion of the kadomatsu from green beans and its base from aburaage and kanikama crab fish cake. In the background of Mount Fuji place a carrot slice sun, to represent the first sunrise of the New Year.

This bento is inspired by “setsubun”, the seasonal division between winter and spring a day before the start of spring (around February 3rd), and includes a traditional custom of throwing beans to drive out evil “demons” and welcome in “good fortune”. This bento creates a demon from rice balls.

Tips for Making

Form the demon’s face and body from rice balls, use a thin omelet for the demon’s hair, and red and green bell pepper slices for its striped pants. Use scissors to cut the eyes from nori seaweed, and place on a strip of shio kombu (salted kelp) for the mouth. Use boiled carrot for the demon’s orange horns, nose and belly button.

March 3rd is “Hinamatsuri (Doll’s Festival)” in Japan. This event is a ritual to pray for the health and happiness of girls. Here we introduce how to make a sandwich in the likeness of the Hina dolls displayed during Hinamatsuri.

Tips for Making

Use sandwich bread for the Hina doll’s bodies. The Hina (princess) doll contains ham, and the Dairi (lord) doll contains cucumber. Quail eggs were used for the dolls’ heads, and nori seaweed was used to make the eyes, mouth and hair.

In Japan, true spring is felt once the cherry blossoms start to fall. An important symbolic motif of spring, here pink ingredients were used to represent cherry blossoms.

Tips for Making

Use kitchen shears to shape-cut pink cherry blossoms out of kamaboko fish cake. Falling cherry blossom leaves are depicted by interspersed rows of grilled salted cod roe (yakitarako).

Here is a decorative bento idea for “Children’s Day”, celebrated on May 5th in Japan. It is a salad bento box in the image of the “koinobori” (carp-shaped windsocks)”, displayed outdoors to commemorate this day.

Tips for Making

Create koinobori by slicing a v-shaped fishtail into one end of a kanikama crab fish cake. Faces and scales are cut out from nori seaweed. For child-size koinobori, make the kanikama a bit shorter.

In Japan, June ushers in the rainy season. As a good weather talisman, a “teru teru bozu (shiny bald head monk)” is made from cloth and hung under house eaves. Even rainy days can be fun with this umbrella and teru teru bozu bento box!

Tips for Making

Use a quail egg for the head, and sliced cheese for the body of the “teru teru bozu”. Eyes are cut from nori seaweed, and the neck ribbon is shape-cut from a red bell pepper.
Create an umbrella from sliced cheese and add sliced asparagus rounds for a polkadot design. The umbrella handle is shape-cut from a yellow bell pepper.

The theme of this bento box is colorful stars in celebration of “Tanabata (Star Festival)”. Filling in each bun depicts the Milky Way.

Tips for Making

Fill buns with potato salad, then top with ham, cucumber, sliced cheese and bell pepper shape-cut into stars to depict the Milky Way.

A zha jiang mian lunch box in the motif of the sunflower, which blooms in summer. The flower petals are made from a thin omelet. This bento box is packed with energy!

Tips for Making

Sunflower petals were made by preparing a thin omelet, cutting it into a rectangle, then folding this over to create an even narrower rectangle. Cut even-spaced slits along the fold to create loop-style petals. Place miso meat sauce in the center of the petals arranged to form a circle and you’re done! Boiled snow peas were used for leaves.

“Otsukimi”, the act of looking up at the moon on an autumn night when it is at its fullest. In Japan, it is said that a rabbit is pounding mochi (rice cakes) inside of the moon. This adorable lunch box was created in the image of a rabbit looking up at the moon.

Tips for Making

Horizontally slice a boiled egg into 4 portions, use a portion with yolk for the moon, use the two egg white ends for the rabbit’s head and body. Cut rabbit ears from the remaining portion. Create eyes and mouths from nori seaweed and rosy cheeks from mashed umeboshi (pickled Japanese apricots).

Halloween is a time to display jack-o’-lanterns carved from pumpkins. Here, these are represented with small orange bell peppers to create a bento box oozing with Halloween mood!

Tips for Making

Cut a bell pepper in half vertically to represent a pumpkin. After carving out eyes, nose and a mouth, and replacing these with shape-cut cucumber peel for a mouth and olives for black eyes and nose, the jack-o’-lantern is complete. Place small hamburgers under the bell pepper halves for a hearty meal.

In autumn, we can watch as the leaves beautifully change color. A blanket of yellow and orange foliage is typical of the autumn landscape in Japan. Packed with the flavors of fall, including mushrooms.

Tips for Making

Cut boiled thin carrot (yellow, orange) slices into the shape of leaves and place these on top of the rice balls to create autumn foliage. Use a straw to realistically depict bug-chomped leaves. Feel free to top some of the rice balls with shimeji mushrooms and ginkgo nuts for a seasonal feel.

In the image of Christmas scenery, we have used a snowman and a Christmas tree as decoration. It is customary in Japan to eat chicken for Christmas.

Tips for Making

Use mashed potatoes to form the snowman’s body, kanikama crab fish cake for his scarf and hat and shio kombu (salted kelp) for his eyes. Make the white portion of his hat from cheese. Use broccoli for the Christmas tree, and decorate it with shape-cut carrots and mayonnaise garland. Fill-up any remaining space with chicken and your favorite ingredients.