Hakoya Bento Box Debut

I’ve sworn not to buy new bento boxes anymore, since I have a lot which I barely use. But when it’s a gift, I guess I have an excuse to own new ones since I DIDN’T BUY IT. This was exactly what happened when my friend N arrived home for a short vacation after working so long overseas.

Along with a little metal charm from the Tokyo Tower (someday, I shall visit you too!), she handed me a small non-descript box which when I opened yielded a lovely Hakoya bento box. Hakoya is a Japanese company that specializes in bento boxes. A bit more expensive than the ones you can buy from Daiso and other hyaku-en shops, the quality you get more than makes up for it. Featuring traditional designs, these hand-crafted, hand-painted boxes can easily hold a place of honor in anybody’s collection.

The box N gave me was a special onigiri box. Technically, it’s a single-layered box with two covers. A flat flexible cover that keeps your food airtight, and a triangular cover that creates a hollow space between it and the flexible cover, designed to store your triangular-shaped onigiri. Aside from giving this box a special purpose, the triangular cover also makes the box really pretty. Upon closer inspection, I’m betting that the box has kimono cloth (or some other similar patterned cloth) glued then laminated on it. The finish is very fine, probably due to the lamination, but a closer look lets you see the texture of the cloth plus the folding in some parts to make the cloth hug the cover smoothly. Lovely work, really.

Because it’s an onigiri box, it’s only natural that I use it for that purpose. My first time using it, I packed in some sliced hungarian sausages, tomato wedges, pineapple tidbits, green beans sauteed in butter, a little soy sauce and black sesame seeds, and finally, a happy-faced, winking onigiri. A smiley meal for a bento box that makes me smile. Good combination, I would think.

N! Thank you for the bento box. I lurve it, obviously no?