Even if you don't have a proper bento box, or any accessories, you probably have a few tupperware boxes knocking around somewhere which can be pressed into bento service. My first bento was bought in Poundland, and although it was a little large it served me well until I managed to pick up some more boxes from eBay. Japanese paper divider cups are very cute, but I also have three sizes of paper cupcake cases which are very handy and were bought at my local supermarket. Muffin cases are the best, but tiny mini cupcake cases are great for tiny portions or even filling with mayonnaise (provided you're not going to shake everything around!) If you're desperate for a soy sauce bottle, save the plastic fish you get with most takeaway supermarket sushi, as all they'll need is a quick wash.
This bento box was purchased at J-List and is very petite and sweet. It has two tiers, a clear plastic lid and pink lids to seal both sections. It's easily the prettiest everyday bento I have, and because it comes with its own lace trimmed bento bag you can keep it safe from scratches inside a larger bag. The real selling point has to be the unusual garter style bento belt - also seen on this cool bento from J-List (which I have my eye on!).
This pair of bento boxes were purchased online via eBay, but are actually from Daiso. If you're a bento fan you'll already have heard of them, but if you're a budding bento enthusiast, just get ready to hear their name over and over. Daiso is an international chain of 100 yen stores (so everything sells for approx 50p, or $1) and they do a great range of bento boxes and accessories. Unfortunately, there are plenty of bento sellers on the net who flog these boxes with for ten times what they're worth - but that's life, and I guess if you're not lucky enough to live near a Daiso (like me) you have to get used to paying a lot of money. Anyway, these represent two Daiso bento ranges I've seen around a fair bit - Mellow on the left (which comes in orange and blue) and Polka-Dot on the right (which comes in pink and blue). These three tier boxes are really tiny but actually help you add more variety to your boxes, especially if you're like me and never put sweet things inside. Last time I used these I had a whole layer for fruit and cake, and left the bottom two just for savoury.
The Daiso Mellow and Polka-Dot ranges I've also seen as standard two tier bento boxes, and single tier. I own a single blue Mellow bento myself, but it's currently being used to store bento dividers. You can also buy matching chopstick cases for the Polka-Dot range - I actually picked mine up in the Japan Centre in London. At the moment, they don't carry any bento boxes or accessories, but they do sell Daiso products for £1.95. If you check out their site in the links section, you'll notice that they have a Daiso section which has been 'coming soon' since Christmas!
This bento was bought in March this year in Tokyo. I got it from Tokyu Hands in Shibuya - it was part of a range, all of which had cool little slogans like this. It's a snap shut bento box, which means that it seals quite well and is therefore fairly leak proof. The bento also came with a matching plain yellow bag which is very handy for storing egg moulds!
This is my pride and joy, a large deluxe Totoro bento box bought at J-List . I have visions of strolling off to the park with this (stuffed full of treats, of course) and sitting under a nice shady tree in the summer sunshine, scoffing sushi and teriyaki chicken. Picnic season is definitely here!
The box consists of two layers. The bottom tray is empty, and the top tray is full of four smaller individual boxes, one of which you can see on the table in front. The dimensions on the J-List website are off, though, as they've written inches when they mean centimetres! Even so, this bento is just so pretty and I reckon you could definitely fit lunch for two in here very comfortably. As soon as it gets put into action I'll post an image of it.
These two bentos I bought from Utsuwa-no-Yakata in Oriental City in Colindale, London. If you've never been to Oriental City I urge you to pay it a visit before it gets redeveloped. It's a bit out of the way, as you have to travel into Zone 4 on the Underground's Northern Line to get there, then walk about five minutes from the station, but trust me, it's worth it. Especially for a bento addict! There's a Sanrio store where you can pick up some Hello Kitty bento accessories, a smaller Toko Lifestyle store where bento boxes are on sale from around £2.80 each (plus dividers, onigiri moulds, bento belts...) and Utsawa-no-Yakata which is full of tableware. These two handsome boxes were actually on sale, reduced from £15.00 to £4.99, making them a bargain.
They're by Hakoya which is a company that produces fairly high quality boxes. It doesn't come through in the photo, but just by handling these boxes you can feel how well made they are. Both came with a bento belt, and a removable side dish container.
This bento is another, more grown up style of bento, which is still quite feminine and cute at the same time. It was also purchased at J-List, and is a nice, hefty feeling box - hopefully it'll last a long time!