Bento Boxes

The traditional bento box, from cedar to lacquer

The traditional bento box has been part of Japanese life for centuries, and the finest examples still come from small workshops. Our magewappa boxes are made in Odate in northern Akita, where craftsmen at Odate Kougeisha steam thin planks of Akita cedar and bend them into ovals, joining the seams with cherry bark. Pick one up and you'll feel how light it is. You'll also catch the clean, resinous scent of cedar the moment you lift the lid.

The wood is more than a stylistic choice. It draws a little moisture from warm rice, then releases it slowly, so grains stay soft and separate rather than turning heavy overnight. A two-tier hango holds rice below and pickles, tamago and grilled fish above. A single-tier oval suits a lighter lunch of rice, an umeboshi plum and a piece of grilled mackerel.

Lacquered bento comes from the same tradition but with a different feel. Our five-section box in black and red lacquer keeps each element apart. You can have rice in one corner, a fillet of teriyaki in another, and pickles and greens in their own small squares. Nothing bleeds into anything else. The lacquer is bold but cool to the touch.

Choosing a Japanese lunch box that suits your day

Our Japanese lunch boxes each suit a different kind of day, so it's worth thinking about what you'll pack and where you'll take it. A single-tier hango is compact enough for a desk lunch of shiitake rice, grilled tofu, simmered kabocha, spinach and pickles; its small side vents let a whisper of steam escape, so the rice doesn't sweat. The wooden oval holds a more generous single portion. It's a good match for a walking picnic or a longer working day.

For a fuller meal, the two-tier plum blossom stacks rice below and sides above, and the top tier works almost like a small serving dish once the lid is off. The lacquered five-section box is the one to reach for when you want everything laid out at once. For a shared table, a bento-style dinner at home, or a hanami picnic under the trees.

A quick word on packing your bento lunch box. Rice goes in first and warm, then cools with the lid off before you add anything wet or fatty. Sharp flavours like a pickled ume, a wedge of pickled radish, a smear of miso cut through richer bites. Wrap the whole thing in a furoshiki cloth for the walk to work or slip it into a bag with your chopsticks.