弁当

松花堂弁当 (shoukadou bento)

A traditional black-lacquered bento box

中華弁当 (chyuka bento)

Bento filled with Chinese food

釜飯弁当 (kamameshi bento)

Cooked and served in a clay pot, sold at train stations in Nagano prefecture.

The pot is a souvenir item.

幕の内弁当 (makunouchi bento)

A classic style of bento with rice, a pickled ume fruit (umeboshi),

a slice of broiled salmon, a rolled egg, etc.

Dates back to the Edo Period, when they were served during the intermissions (幕間)

of Noh and Kabuki theater performances.

海苔弁 (noriben)

Bento with nori dipped in soy sauce covering cooked rice.

鮭弁当 (sake bento)

A simple bento with a slice of broiled salmon as the main dish.

仕出し弁当 (shidashi bento)

Made in a restaurant and delivered during lunch. Often eaten at a gathering like a funeral or a party. Usually packed with traditional foods like tempura, rice and pickled vegetables.

鳥弁当 (tori bento)

Pieces of chicken cooked in sauce served over rice. Popular in Gunma prefecture.

日の丸弁当 (hinomaru bento)

Name for a bento consisting of plain white rice with an umeboshi in the centre. The name was taken from the Hinomaru, the Japanese flag, which has a white background with a red circle in the centre.

ホカ弁 (hokaben)

Any kind of bento bought at a take-out bento shops. Freshly cooked hot (hokahoka) rice is usually served with freshly prepared side dishes. The name was popularized after a pioneering take-out bento franchise in the field, Hokka Hokka Tei.

早弁 (hayaben)

Eating a bento before lunch, and having another lunch afterward.

駅弁 (ekiben)

A bento sold at railway stations (eki) or onboard trains.

空弁 (soraben)

A bento sold at airports for eating on an airplane.

キャラ弁 (kyaraben)

Elaborately arranged bento featuring food decorated to look like people, characters from popular media, animals or plants.