, a shortened form of , is a style of elaborately arranged bento

Bento

is a single-portion takeout or home-packed meal common in Japanese cuisine. A traditional bento consists of rice, fish or meat, and one or more pickled or cooked vegetables, usually in a box-shaped container. Containers range from disposable mass produced to hand crafted lacquerware...

 which features food decorated to look like people, characters from popular media, animals, and plants. Japanese homemakers often spend time devising their families' meals, including their boxed lunches.

Originally, a decorated bento was intended to interest children in their food and to encourage a wider range of eating habits. It has now evolved to the point where national contests are held.

In popular culture

• Kyaraben lunchboxes are a major plot element in Bento Monogatari
  Bento Monogatari
  Bento Monogatari is a 2010 short film by Pieter Dirkx. It was selected for the 2011 Cannes Film Festival in the Cinéfondation section...
  
  , a 2011 short film by Belgian director Pieter Dirkx
  Pieter Dirkx
  Pieter Dirkx is a Belgian film director and painter. His short film Bento Monogatari premiered in the Cinéfondation program at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival.-Biography:...
  
  

External links

• Face Food: The Visual Creativity of Charaben (and Other Food)