Customer Rating: 
Summary: Inspiring
Comment: For people looking to have a more balanced lunch, this book can be an inspiration. Why not make the lunch box colorful in content AND nutrition? A lot of the pictures feature boxes with fruits that are not only eye-catching but also appetizing. Typical American lunchbox is so boring, making people think that American mothers do not have nutrition knowledge and practice.
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Review from an American Bento-Newbie
Comment: I stumbled across bento-making late one night when the Cooking Cute website was featured on Yahoo's "The Nine." I made my husband a bento that night, and have been hooked ever since. I found this book and was so excited to find a guide to bento in English. I don't think I've cracked the book more than three times or so. It's just not practical for the Western palate - there are a lot of "strange" foods I haven't dug up the gumption to try. I am a bit more food-adventurous than my husband, who actually has to eat my creations. For the ones I have tried, thank goodness I live in a city with a large Asian community and many ethnic grocery stores to peruse. Some of the ingredients have been a little harder to track down than others. The directions also seem to skip a few steps sometimes, I don't know if this is because it's supposed to be "common sense" or lost in translation, but nothing you can't stumble through. All in all - a beautiful display of food. Eye-appealing if not so to my stomach. :D
Customer Rating:
Summary: bento boxes made easy
Comment: This is well planned out. and it actually helps you plan out your boxes. Although the bento display is not as creative or cute as some would like it, the dishes themselves are fantastic. A great addition to your bento box cookbook collection.
Other recommended reads:
Easy Japanese Pickling in Five Minutes to One Day: 101 Full-Color Recipes for Authentic Tsukemono
Harumi's Japanese Cooking: More than 75 Authentic and Contemporary Recipes from Japan's Most PopularCooking Expert
Harumi's Japanese Home Cooking: Simple, Elegant Recipes for Contemporary Tastes
Customer Rating:
Summary: recipe book, not directions
Comment: This little book is stuffed full of recipes that make good bento boxes. It is ,however, intended for a Japanese audience and assumes a certain level of familiarity with basic Japanese food preparation. Don't let that scare you off, though, this is a great book!
If you are not familiar with basic Japanese food and ingredients, i suggest you also buy "the Asian Grocery Store demystified" or "a dictionary of Japanese food" or some other basic guide to Japanese cooking to go with this book. Most of the ingredients listed can be found in any large Asian supermarket, or failing that can be substituted with items found in typical American Supermarkets, if you are willing to take a small amount of time to figure out what the ingredient is meant to be doing in the recipe. (is it for taste? texture?) Part of this will depend on where you live, of course, but here in Philadelphia i had no problem finding all the ingredients.
what this book offers is a LOAD of Japanese and Japanese style recipes that are meant to be packed for lunch or dinner. Many of them can be prepared ahead, and all of them are ideal candidates for the bento box or picnic lunch! Most other Japanese recipe books are full of wonderful foods, but with no guarantee that they will be able to survive packing and toting around.
jammed with recipes, its a bargain for anyone looking to make healthy meals on the go.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Geared for Japanese (or Japanese Grocers!)
Comment: I like the concept of this book (small meals with a Japanese flavor that are made for taking and eating on the go). The recipes and ingredients are geared for those familiar with Japanese ingredients and cooking techniques AND who have easy access to a Japanese or Asian grocery store. I'm not familiar, and don't have easy access, so this book isn't very practical for me. Therefore, I decided to return it using Amazon's easy return policy. Instead, I'll search for a book that not only has great Japanese recipes but has ones that I'll actually be able to make!
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