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Bento Boxes: Japanese Meals on the Go Perfect Paperback – September 28, 2001

by Naomi Kijima (Author), Laura Driussi (Author)
4.2 out of 5 stars 89 ratings
This book offers an elegant way to enjoy delicious, healthy food on the run. Includes more than 40 main dish recipes and step-by-step illustrations.
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  1. Print length
    64 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Japan Publications Trading
  4. Publication date
    September 28, 2001
  5. Dimensions
    9.7 x 0.2 x 7.8 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    4889960732
  7. ISBN-13
    978-4889960730
Next slide of product details
The%20Amazon%20Book%20Review
The Amazon Book Review
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Naomi Kijima is a well known cookbook author and teacher in Japan. She has appeared on Japanese television and her recipes are regularly featured in women's magazines and newspapers there.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Japan Publications Trading
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 28, 2001
  • Edition ‏ : ‎ 1st
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 64 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 4889960732
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-4889960730
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 8.8 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 9.7 x 0.2 x 7.8 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 out of 5 stars 89 ratings

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
89 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find this cookbook straightforward and easy to follow, with beautiful pictures and plenty of recipes. The book is perfect for quick small meals, and one customer notes it's particularly suitable for single-person dinners. While the recipes require only about 3 main ingredients, some customers mention the uncommon ingredients as a drawback. Customers appreciate the inspiration it provides, with one noting it's great for experienced bento packers.

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24 customers mention "Simplicity"21 positive3 negative

Customers find the cookbook straightforward and easy to follow, with short recipes that are visually appealing.

"...But as a practical introduction for a confident cook with reasonable access to basic Asian ingredients, this is an excellent way to learn to make a..." Read more

"...This book had excellent reviews, and the recipes are simple, easy and the pictures gorgeous...." Read more

"...Each recipe is made in a small quantity and most can be made in under 30 minutes, making this an excellent cookbook for small households..." Read more

"...It's a basic, straight-forward cookbook without a lot of explanation, tips, or talk about technique...." Read more

18 customers mention "Pictures quality"18 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the beautiful pictures in the book, which feature tons of color photographs and include photos for each recipe.

"...had excellent reviews, and the recipes are simple, easy and the pictures gorgeous...." Read more

"...There are pictures to accompany each recipe, but for the beginner it might be worthwhile to pick up an additional guide to Japanese cooking...." Read more

"...this book is short (64 pages), it is easy to follow and is accompanied by colorful photos...." Read more

"...EVERY SINGLE recipe has a picture- and every picture a recipe! It is utterly fantastic!..." Read more

18 customers mention "Taste"18 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the taste of the book's recipes, describing them as appetizing and easy to prepare, with one customer noting the variety of rice sprinkling options.

"...including donburis, fried rice, rice balls ... with rice sprinkling options to add variety...." Read more

"...there's pickle recipes, rice ball and rice ball wrappers, different kinds of rice recipes.... low fat recipes...sprinkle recipes- similar to the..." Read more

"This is a nice collection of Japanese meals on the go, including traditional classics & modern recipes...." Read more

"...what Japanese cooking is all about - style and presentation of incredibly tasty foods...." Read more

6 customers mention "Meal planning"6 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's meal planning approach, finding it perfect for quick small meals, with one customer noting it works well for single-person dinners.

"...most can be made in under 30 minutes, making this an excellent cookbook for small households (1-2 people)...." Read more

"...this Cook book is that some of these recipes would be great for dinners for a single person as well...." Read more

"...So even if you're not packing bento, this book is great for quick small portioned meals to eat right away as well...." Read more

"...The recipes are just right for lunches or light dinners and are easy to convert to multiple servings...." Read more

5 customers mention "Inspiration"5 positive0 negative

Customers find the book inspirational, with one mentioning it serves as an excellent introduction to bento lunches, while another notes it's a great source of ideas.

"This book is both an excellent introduction to bento lunches and a great inspiration for experienced cooks packing bentos for their loved ones...." Read more

"...A great addition to your bento box cookbook collection. Other recommended reads: [..." Read more

"This book is a good place to start for traditional bento lunches, and has very nice pictures (always a bonus in cookbooks)...." Read more

"...shorter and doesn't always explain what it means, but it is a good source of ideas...." Read more

10 customers mention "Ingredients"4 positive6 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the ingredients in the book, with some appreciating that most recipes require only about three main ingredients, while others note that the recipes use uncommon ones.

"...However, most recipes utilize shellfish (which I'm allergic too) and I was really hoping there would be a good focus on vegetarian or other..." Read more

"...The recipes are short and simple to follow, most with five or fewer ingredients...." Read more

"...only complaint I have is not with the cook book itself, but the lack of ingredients my local markets sell that the recipes this book require...." Read more

"...All the recipes are very simple and require only about 3 main ingredients...." Read more

3 customers mention "Practicality"0 positive3 negative

Customers find the book lacks practicality.

"...can be executed as described, some are missing key steps or oversimplifying. Case in point the directions for tamago...." Read more

"...I'm not familiar, and don't have easy access, so this book isn't very practical for me...." Read more

"Great photos, but short on practicality...." Read more

Perfect for quick small meals
5 out of 5 stars
Perfect for quick small meals
This book has quick and easy Japanese recipes in one or 2 person servings. It is meant for making lunches packed on the go daily, so each recipe is meant to fill one box. So even if you're not packing bento, this book is great for quick small portioned meals to eat right away as well. Perfect if you live alone or if it's just two of you. For larger families, you'll have to upscale, or make more than one meal! I look to this book not only for bento packing, but also when there is not much time to cook or prepare and I'm hungry right now.
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Top reviews from the United States

  • M. J. Smith
    5.0 out of 5 stars How to master bento boxes for the confident cook
    Reviewed in the United States on March 11, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    Okay, I would love it a whole lot more if it were longer. But as a practical introduction for a confident cook with reasonable access to basic Asian ingredients, this is an excellent way to learn to make a wide variety of bento boxes. (Note: if Asian groceries are hard to come by check Amazon - you can find reasonable produce and meat locally then use Amazon.)

    The structure of the cookbook is designed to build a variety of bento boxes: First, one is presented with complete boxes that are traditional Japanese favorites - crispy mackerel, beef sukiyaki, chicken dumplings, inari-zuzhi/maki-zushi, chicken-tofu rice ... Next one learns to vary elements with protein and vegetable recipes using crisp frying, grilling, pan frying, braising ... This is followed by the largest section which gives a variety of rice and noodle options including donburis, fried rice, rice balls ... with rice sprinkling options to add variety. This is finished with specialty items - low fat temptations, pickles, sprinkles etc. The final section is how to make soup packets to go with the bento boxes - appropriate as soup and rice are the traditional close to a Japanese meal.

    If one gets confused and the pictures are insufficient, a search of the web should provide any assumed knowledge that you may not know e.g. how to easily julienne burdock (yes, I was recently shown a simple way compared to my big hassle method). But working through this book and observing the structure of the completed box will make you a very competent bento box creator.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Redsilas
    4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent recipes, except for
    Reviewed in the United States on April 2, 2010
    Verified Purchase
    I purchased two Bento Boxes for my husband and I to use for lunch. This book had excellent reviews, and the recipes are simple, easy and the pictures gorgeous.

    However, most recipes utilize shellfish (which I'm allergic too) and I was really hoping there would be a good focus on vegetarian or other alternate bento recipes. So, if you have no allergies - awesome book. If you have shellfish allergies, about 1/3 of the recipes are good.
    4 people found this helpful
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  • Augustina
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Bento Lunches
    Reviewed in the United States on January 26, 2008
    Verified Purchase
    This book is both an excellent introduction to bento lunches and a great inspiration for experienced cooks packing bentos for their loved ones. I have made nearly every recipe in this book and I have not been disappointed. Each recipe is made in a small quantity and most can be made in under 30 minutes, making this an excellent cookbook for small households (1-2 people). I have also increased the quantities to adapt the recipes for dinner. There are pictures to accompany each recipe, but for the beginner it might be worthwhile to pick up an additional guide to Japanese cooking. As with anything it might take some experimentation to adjust the recipes to your liking.

    I've been running a bento blog for going on 2 years and found the best way to learn about bento is to search web for Japanese bento blogs. Type the word "bento" in hiragana or try photo sites. This book is an excellent accompaniment to that sort of research because it enables you to identify what many of the items are and provides you with a recipe.

    My only complaint is the book should have been spiral bound and laminated. My copy is in pretty bad shape from being used so much.
    10 people found this helpful
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  • dave
    3.0 out of 5 stars Simple and to the point.
    Reviewed in the United States on July 27, 2004
    Verified Purchase
    A Bento box is to the Japanese what the brown bag lunch is to Americans. And the food inside is the same: simple, easy to make, and cheep. Though this book is short (64 pages), it is easy to follow and is accompanied by colorful photos. The recipes are short and simple to follow, most with five or fewer ingredients. Take note, you are not going to find and fancy or exquisite dishes in this book. There is no introduction or explanations for what you are doing or why you do it. Its only recipes and pictures cover to cover. Almost all of the ingredients can be found at your local megamart with a few exceptions. Pickled plum, cod roe, and burdock might be hard , if not imposable to find, but by my count the things I cant get only eliminated seven or eight recipes. And with two to five recipes per page that?s not to bad. At its cheep price and easy to make dishes I lightly recommend this book.
    105 people found this helpful
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  • Candace S.
    5.0 out of 5 stars the ultimate food porn for anime fans!
    Reviewed in the United States on July 24, 2004
    Verified Purchase
    There is just something about watching animated characters eating animated food- that makes you ravenous ! I don't know what it is about anime like pita ten- or that beginning part of spirited away- but it always makes me crave a bento box or chinese roasted duck! So if you're like me- and want to actually eat the little triangles of rice while you're watching an anime- THIS is the book for you!

    My friend who is actually an animator loaned me this book and now i have to get it for myself! EVERY SINGLE recipe has a picture- and every picture a recipe! It is utterly fantastic! It's hard to imagine cooking such small amounts of food however- and i'd rather just open a bento to go store based on all of these wonderful recipes... but it would be great to use these recipes for party ideas etc. there's pickle recipes, rice ball and rice ball wrappers, different kinds of rice recipes.... low fat recipes...sprinkle recipes- similar to the rice sprinkles with nori bits you can buy at the store. there are even "just add water" soup ideas!

    great book! it should be in everyone's personal collection!
    24 people found this helpful
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  • chicagobuyer
    4.0 out of 5 stars Great Meals-On-The-Go Ideas
    Reviewed in the United States on February 1, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    This is a nice collection of Japanese meals on the go, including traditional classics & modern recipes. It's a basic, straight-forward cookbook without a lot of explanation, tips, or talk about technique. This is *not* the cookbook for you if you're looking for
    1. Kawaii (cute) kid's bento lunches showcasing yellow bunnies, pink piggies, and black & white pandas
    2. A step-by-step guide to Japanese cooking
    3. Glossy, food porn, though there are lots of nice pictures

    But if you want a variety of Japanese meals on the go and have experience cooking/aren't uncomfortable diving in with just a recipe, this is a nice set that won't break the bank.
    2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • SchrödingersKatze
    5.0 out of 5 stars Mein erstes Bentobuch
    Reviewed in Germany on January 6, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    Man sollte schon englisch können, aber dann ist dieses Buch eine wirklich schöne Inspiration für die eigene Bentogestaltung, wenn man für seinen Lebensgefährten oder sich selber eine Box zusammen stellt. Für Kinder-Bentos würde ich jedoch zu einem der vielen anderen Büchern mit "Bastelanregungen" greifen, da diese mehr auf die Optik achten.
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  • Megami
    5.0 out of 5 stars Un fourmillement d'idées simples
    Reviewed in France on April 2, 2008
    Verified Purchase
    Je suis aussi tombée dans la folie bento et ce livre est une mine d'idées géniales, adaptables à notre ingrédients européens. Des recettes simples et souvent rapides à faire. Si votre boîte ne craint pas le micro-ondes, les plats sont presque aussi bons froids que chauds.
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  • Nilmandra
    5.0 out of 5 stars Useful not just for bento but for as a quick guide to preparing Japanese meals in general
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 29, 2007
    Verified Purchase
    A lovely slim volume that is a refreshing change from the huge hardback tomes that one usually gets from Jamie Oliver, Nigella Lawson, Gordon Ramsay or Rick Stein. Recipes are simple and instructions are brief and to the point. The recipes could easily double up or increase in portions to cook for more. And because the recipes are planned for bento (Japanese packed lunches) which is traditionally done in the morning, it means they are really quick to prepare. Most of the ingredients can be found at a Chinese/Asian supermarket or groceries store, or even your local Waitrose or Sainsbury's. I have tried a number of the recipes and they all taste great. A real gem of a book.
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  • Matiba
    4.0 out of 5 stars Bin zufrieden
    Reviewed in Germany on November 28, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    Schönes Buch mit witzigen Anregungen für die Bentobox.
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  • Orinoco Womble
    4.0 out of 5 stars Not for the Bento Beginner
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 23, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    This book, unlike some others on the market in English, was not written for cooks outside Asia. It's simply a translation of a popular Japanese cookbook, written for people who live in Japan and have access to all the ingredients. If you're lucky enough to live in a city with abundant Asian ingredients, you'll be able to replicate the recipes with no trouble. However, if like me you live in a city with one small Asian supermarket, you will need a good deal of cooking experience and confidence to make substitutions for things you simply can't get hold of, knowing as you do so that it won't be authentic.

    I bought this book secondhand from a Marketplace seller, and I'm glad I didn't pay more the couple of pounds it cost. It did arrive quickly and in good condition, but as cookbooks go, it's pretty sparse. It's more like a magazine than a book, printed on slick paper with a very flimsy cover. Lovely photographs, and there are lots of recipes for the number of pages, but it's very thin. There is no discussion of ingredients, or what they taste like (which could guide the non-Japanese cook to a possible substitute). Very little is said of cooking techniques. No equivalents or substitutions are offered, because the author was writing for an all Japanese audience. Another problem for the Western cook is the absolute and total lack of any index. Yes, there's a table of contents in the front, of sorts--but you will look in vain for the usual back-index by ingredient and dish. As a translator myself, I know indexes are often left out of the translation order, leaving it to the editors to supply page numbers etc for the translated edition. Often, the index is simply eliminated, which is what appears to have happened here...but not having seen the Japanese original I can't say.

    We can only hope that Japanese cuisine will take off in Europe as Indian cuisine has in recent years, making more ingredients available to more people. For now, I will stop buying Bento cookbooks, as I see mostly the same recipes repeated over and over. A word of advice for the beginning Bento cook: Start with the Just Bento Cookbook, and when you get some experience you can branch out more comfortably.
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