MiMi Aye

Blogger and cookbook author

The popular Western impression of bento is of endless, cutesy boxes crammed with adorable anime characters made of sushi rice, seaweed and tiny hotdogs. In reality, your average Japanese bento is filled with food that isn't that visually interesting, but is still delicious. This is a translation of a book intended for locals - salary men and women, mothers and fathers - who need to make packed lunches on a daily basis. Some of the ingredients are hard to come by if you don't have access to a Japanese supermarket, but the food tastes just like you're in Tokyo.