The ubiquitous Japanese lunch box that the world has come to love. From my Canon 40D, I like to get up close. I want to the presentation. I love the elements of the composition. The train, sake cups, tray table, and subject.
Sometimes, I like to just focus on food item, like the deep fried chicken. It’s actually quite crispy and washes down well with sake, even when it’s not exactly room temperature.
In this photo, I focus on the rice ball because it’s beautiful and the most important food product in the lunch box.
As the train glides along the tracks while the beautiful scenes pass through my window, I reflect on the air, land, sea which elements in almost every bento… Bird, seaweed, rice.
What a wonderful box! Actually I’ve never seen this myself in any Japanese restaurant so far, but it looks really delicious and original. What does Bento mean? I’m a bit unfamiliar with Japanese food and culture, but it’s quite fascinating.
I hope to find an authentic restaurant where I can have this experience as well. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for your comment. The “bento” is a home packed take-out meal usually prepared by mothers for their husbands and kids. So basically a lunch box. You either make it yourself or buy one from a convenience store or supermarket. In Japan, the “bento” culture has a huge following from young to old, and from all over Japan. Most fanatics like myself enjoy buying train station bentos ( regionality is important as each prefecture in Japan has its own original style of bento) for train travel. I like eating bento while drinking fresh local sake on a long train ride. It really give me a sense of the appreciation for local culture.
hi @user_not_found ! I love bentos… but it is almost impossible to find a fully vegetarian/pescatarian bento in a konbini at stations I never had luck, so always sticked with the good old onigiri with green tea whenever I took the shinkansen. I did see on youtube that there is a famous bento store in Tokyo Station that has lots of vegetable options so I’m looking forward to trying that one day. Love the packaging of your bento, looks like you got it at a fancy-ish place bon apetit.
Thank you for your thoughtful comments. Are you a complete vegetarian or do you eat fish or seafood? The onigiri with green tea combination is only good with certain teas and onigiri, but I do love your ideas. I am aware of the store you mention in Tokyo Station. Great place. Did you know you could also pre-order your bento before you arrive there? The bento in the photo was picked up at Tokyo Station at a Bento Shop located next to the Shinkansen ticket gates.
I never had luck, so always sticked with the good old onigiri with green tea whenever I took the shinkansen. I did see on youtube that there is a famous bento store in Tokyo Station that has lots of vegetable options so I’m looking forward to trying that one day. Love the packaging of your bento, looks like you got it at a fancy-ish place 
bon apetit.