Japanese bento boxes are taking lunch boxes to a whole new level. What makes them stand out over classic lunch boxes in other cultures is the extreme attention to detail and the variety and balance of ingredients. Everything is packed into the bento box in a beautiful display that sometimes makes it look almost too good to eat. Putting together a proper Japanese bento lunch can take hours of prep time plus all the time spend arranging and decorating the items to perfection.

Some bentos go above and beyond by not only organizing each component in a visually appealing way, but but making the food look cute too.

A classic way the kawaii touch is added to Japanese bentos is by slicing the end of a mini sausage so that becomes a little octopus. Turning food into cute animals is also often done with apples by cutting the edges of an apple slice to make it appear as though it has two bunny ears. These cute elements are just the tip of the iceberg. Some dedicated bento makers take it to the next level by making full character displays with the food.

Here are some Japanese character bentos that are so extra and are taking meal prep to the next level.

Kawaii My Melody Bento

This little My Melody bento is too cute to eat! This bento really nails the My Melody design right down to the little box fascened at her ear and her little yellow nose!

Daisy Duck

Upon first glance, Daisy Duck’s face in this bento looks like it could have been a drawing printed out and pasted on top of the bento. Take another look though, her face is actually made out of food right down to those black lines made from thin pieces of nori!

Credits: @kaseifu_mudazono

Hello Kitty

This vibrant bento has the cutest little hello kitty peeking out of what appears to be roses or some sort of red flower which must have taken ages to make! There is so much going on in this bento, it really makes you appreciate all the time an effort this bento maker put into making this!

Credits: @yocchimama_chiyuki

Simba

You can never go wrong with a Disney character bento! Not only does simba from The Lion King looks stunning, they even added in his little whiskers! Not to mention each little detail in the flower garden surrounding him, this is yet another character bento that is knocking it out of the park!

Credits: @hide_811

Snowman Winter Wonderland Bento

What better way to get in the holiday spirit or feel festive than a winter wonderland bento! Just looking at these designs would brighten your mood, there’s no way anyone can eat this snowman bento and have a bad day,

Credits: @comugi.bento

Ghibli Character Bentos

These Ghibli character bentos are a work of art! It looks likes some of them feature edible hand drawings of the characters, now that’s dedication.

Credits: @tomoxryuxtora

Whoever started this character bento trend was really onto something, these kawaii bento designs would certainly brighten anyone’s day during and make lunch time something to really look forward to! Now imagine prepping a week’s worth of character bentos, would you be able to do it??

If you liked these character bentos, then these cute bento will definitely make you smile!

Which character bento was your favorite? Let us know in the comments!

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