Japan wraps its meals in a modern tradition
Japan has a unique custom of packaging single-portion takeouts or home-made meals. Even the most trivial lunch package often resembles a stylish box of chocolates from an expensive confectionary shop. Swiss photographer Andreas Seibert had a good look.
The tradition goes back more than 700 years. A container usually holds rice, fish or meat with vegetables, artfully arranged for the eye. Bentos range from disposable products to hand crafted lacquerware. People often spend time and energy on a carefully prepared lunch box for their family members.
Today, millions of Bento boxes are sold daily, mostly in railway stations as a boxed lunches. The boxes are now mostly made of plastic, but luxury versions made of painted wood are also available.
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