The artwork that is Obento

By: ISOSU

Posted: 1/29/08

In Japan, I find many words come from different countries and people use the words without knowing the real meanings.

For example, since elementary school, when people would make mistakes and feel down, I used to say, "Don Mai." When I learned English in high school, I realized that "Don Mai" is an English phrase, which means "Don't mind."

I am always amazed by learning the small story behind words. Since I came to the United States, I have noticed many Japanese words here, such as anime (Japanese animation), futon (mattress for Japanese bed), tsunami (large wave caused by earthquakes), origami (paper-folding), sudoku (number placement puzzle) and obento (lunch box).

In this article, I would like to explain more about obento and share a little about the different types of obento - they all depend on either what time they are eaten, where they are eaten, where they are sold, their purpose and who prepared them.

Obento is like an art. I was always excited to open the lunch box, because my mother always decorated the lunch box to be beautiful and original.

People usually try make the obento look pretty by using a variety of colors. Typically people get creative with the food in obento with sausages shaped like octopi, apples shaped like rabbits and red plums in the middle of plain white rice to look like the Japanese flag. Even thought I was hungry, I always enjoyed looking at the food.

As I said before, obento have different names for many different reasons.

Obento sold at the train station are called "Eki Ben." ("Eki" means "train station," and "Ben" is short for "obento.") At the train station, the special obento are sold to people who travel by train. Each train station in each prefecture (what Americans would call a state) sells its special obento, which include its famous regional foods.

When I used to travel with my family, my father would get off the train when we stopped for few minutes just to buy special obento containing regional foods. I was always nervous that he wouldn't make it back in time before we left the station.

Nowadays, we do not need to get off the train because people working on the train come around to sell the obento on the train ride.

Obento that is eaten during intermission at Kabuki plays is called "Makunouchi Bento." "Makunouchi" means "between curtains," so basically it means they are sold during the intermission of a play.

The obento contains more formal meals with pretty boxes, so it is also served at restaurants and not only at Kabuki plays.

Obento eaten outside, like a picnic, is called "Kouraku Bento." This obento is bigger and contains more food than other obento because it is usually shared by a group of people.

Obento prepared by a wife is called "Aisai Bento." "Aisai" means "beloved wife."

Obento eaten with hopes to pass a test or win a competition is called "Gokaku Bento." "Gokaku" means "passing the test." For extra luck, Gokaku Bento includes fried pork placed on the rice, since fried pork is called "Katsu," which also means "win" - just an extra bounce for good luck.

I personally think obento is a form of non-verbal communication among Japanese people.

Sometimes it is hard for Japanese people to express their feelings - especially people my parents' age. I never heard my mother say to my father, "I love you," but instead of saying it, she always made pretty Aisai Bento.

When I took an entrance examination for a university in Japan, my mother did not give me many encouraging words, and instead gave me a hug or nice cards and made me a Gokaku Bento.

If some people do not know about the meaning of each obento, they might misunderstand what my mother was thinking during that silent moment. She pretended to be normal on that day, but then she gave me the great Gokaku Bento. When I thought about that time and how she woke up early to prepare for it for me, I was really happy and encouraged by it, and I did not need any other words from her. I could understand what she was trying to say.

I think many miscommunications or misunderstandings can happen if we are not familiar with other cultures.

This is why it is interesting to keep learning different cultures and meeting people from different countries so we can learn.

Naoko Kawamura is a graduate student in college student services and administration and a member of the Japanese Student Association and part of ISOSU. The opinions expressed in ISOSU's column, which appears every Tuesday, do not necessarily represent those of the Daily Barometer staff. Kawamura can be reached at forum@dailybarometer.com.