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Different Types of Bento!
Thanks to Wikipedia

• Kyaraben are lunches designed to look like cute characters or objects! Also known as Decoben (kyara= character, deco= decoration, ben=bento).

• Shōkadō bentō (松花堂弁当) is a traditional black-lacquered Japanese bento box. It inspired IBM's (later sold to Lenovo) ThinkPad design.

• Chūka bentō (中華弁当) are filled with Chinese food. While Chinese do have cold plates, it is more for appetizers or midnight "snack". The food that is associated with chuka bento was invented in Japan.

• Kamameshi bentō (釜飯弁当) are sold at train stations in the Nagano prefecture. A bento is packed in a clay pot and cooked. This clay pot is a souvenir item.

• Makunouchi bentō (幕の内弁当) is a classic style of bento with rice, a pickled ume fruit (umeboshi), a slice of broiled salmon, a rolled egg, etc.

• Noriben (海苔弁) is the simplest bento, with nori dipped in soy sauce covering cooked rice.

• Sake bentō (鮭弁当) is a simple bento with a slice of broiled salmon (鮭, sake) as the main dish.

• Shidashi bentō (仕出し弁当) is made in a restaurant and delivered during lunch. This bento is often eaten at a gathering like a funeral or a party. It is usually packed with traditional Japanese foods like tempura, rice and pickled vegetables. A shidashi bento packed with European-style food is also available.

• Sushizume (鮨詰め) literally means "packed sushi", and is a bento filled with sushi.

• Tori bento (鳥弁当) consists of pieces of chicken cooked in sauce served over rice. It is a popular bento in Gunma prefecture.

• Hinomaru bento (日の丸弁当) is the name for a bento consisting of plain white rice with an umeboshi in the centre. The name was taken from the Hinomaru, the Japanese flag, which has a white background with a red circle in the centre. Pure Hinomaru bento only consists of rice and umeboshi to flavor rice without any other side dishes. The metal bento boxes, once popular in Japan, were often corroded by the acid of umeboshi, eventually making a hole in the middle of the lid.

• Hokaben (ホカ弁) is any kind of bento bought at take-out bento shops. Freshly cooked hot (hokka hoka) rice is usually served with freshly prepared side dishes. The name was popularized after a pioneering take-out bento franchise in the field, Hokka Hokka Tei.

• Hayaben (早弁), literally "early bento", is eating a bento before lunch, and having another lunch afterward.

• Dokaben (ドカベン) is a baseball manga of which the title came from the protagonist, Taro Yamada's large bento box (dokaben).

• Ekiben is a bento sold at railway stations (eki). There are many kinds of ekiben. Most are inexpensive and filling.

A bento is traditionally made in a 4:3:2:1 ratio: 4 parts of rice, 3 parts of the side dish (either meat or fish), 2 parts of vegetables, and 1 part of a serving of pickled vegetables or a dessert. However, almost anything can be used to make a bento.

Rice is virtually indispensable to any meal. Gohan, or 'rice,' also is used to mean 'food' or 'meal.' Steamed white rice is most commonly used, but fried rice and noodles also are used.

Onigiri, translated as 'rice balls,' are usually triangular, disc-shaped, or capsule-shaped. Ingredients often are mixed in with the rice or stuffed into the middle. There are many types of molds available to turn onigiri into bears, bunnies, and other whimsical shapes. Onigiri is meant to be eaten with the hands and often has a strip of nori wrapped around it to keep the fingers from getting sticky.

Noodles - Many varieties are used, such as soba, somen, or udon. Often yakisoba is included in bento, which is soba noodles stir-fried with various ingredients.

Egg - One of the most common bento ingredients, egg is served in various ways, such as tamagoyaki (a slightly sweet layered omelet), hard-boiled, fried, and scrambled with various ingredients.

Sausages, or mini wieners, often are cut into various shapes using a sharp knife or molds to resemble animals and other objects, such as an octopus, a crab, or a flower.

Grilled fish - Salted salmon is a favorite. I like to use leftovers from dinner - usually salmon, catfish, or trout.

Fish cake - There are different forms, including chikuwa (a tube-like form) and kamaboko (usually served in slices).

Yakitori - Miniature kebabs are the cutest! Traditionally made with chicken and scallions, you can use whatever suits your fancy.

Teriyaki-flavored meat. Chicken and beef are most popular, but you can use teriyaki sauce on vegetables, tofu, and even noodles, and it will taste great.

Yakiniku - Meatballs are delicious and oh-so-cute in bento. Skewer them, serve them on pasta, tuck them into mini-sandwiches...the possibilities are endless!

Sushi - There are so many varieties out there. I would advise against using raw fish, since most bento is not refrigerated before it is eaten. I like using smoked salmon, vegetables, tofu, cooked meats, grilled eel, SPAM, shrimp, and other ingredients as filling.

Curry or kare, is usually served with rice. A classic comfort food, Japanese curry is more mild and sweeter than its Indian counterparts. Curry is fairly liquidy and requires a watertight seal when packing in a bento. I've found that Glad Press n' Seal works well to create a seal in 'designer boxes' that aren't meant for soupy items.

Chicken nuggets - Another fun and flexible food that is easy to prepare.

Dumplings - Gyoza, steamed buns, wontons, and other types of dumplings make for tasty bento fare.

Croquettes or korokke, these are ingredients (e.g., beef and onion) mixed with mashed potato that are rolled in panko before being fried to golden goodness. Once I figure out how to fry these properly, I will include them in my bento more regularly.

Tofu puffs are healthy and easy to incorporate into stirfries, curries, and soups and are great eaten on their own (or with a bit of your favorite sauce). They freeze well too.

Cheese - Supermarkets sell bento-perfect cubes of cheese. I also like the Laughing Cow wedges and the mini-Babybel cheeses.

Vegetables - Raw, steamed, simmered, boiled, stir-fried, or pickled. I like to use colorful vegetables, such as broccoli, carrots, cucumber, cherry/grape tomatoes, snow peas, broccolini, red/yellow/green bell peppers, etc. You also can shape vegetables using mini cookie cutters to add extra cuteness to your bento.

Umeboshi - A long-standing staple of bento, pickled Japanese apricots are believed to keep rice fresh and are served either on a bed of plain rice (resembling the Japanese flag) or stuffed inside onigiri. Umeboshi has a very sour taste that is quite addicting.

Furikake - A condiment that adds flavor and color to rice. Popular ingredients include nori flakes, shrimp, salmon, and toasted sesame seeds.

Seaweed - Included as stewed kombu, or wakame in a miso soup, or as strips used to wrap onigiri. Nori also is cut into decorative patterns, transforming rice into soccer balls, Sanrio characters, and other cute designs.

Fruit - All kinds of berries, tinned mandarin oranges, apples, bananas, and more exotic fruits, like mango, longans, and lychee. If you pack apples or other fruits that tend to brown, try rubbing a bit of lemon juice on the cut surfaces to prevent browning. Fruits also can be cut into appealing shapes with a paring knife or using small cookie cutters.

i always knew my bento was abit small, now i know im using one for a 6-8 year old girl sweatdrop
order a new one? just did, thanks guys!

Wow! Thanks for this thread, I am learning a lot. Those egg molds do look interesting. heart

it just came in today, im not sure what im more excited about, the bento and acessories or that it was stuffed with japanese newspaper <3 <3 <3 <3

there waas a hand drawn picture of a samurai

My mom used to make these for me when I was at school,rice is the easiest thing to make the bento into a really nice bento because can be mold into many shapes.