Customer Reviews

650ml Lunch Box Bento Box with a Green Bag / Made in Japan

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Length:: 1:02 Mins

This is a handy little item. I plan to purchase a few more of them.

I purchased this box for my preschool aged son. It is very attractive and seems to be well made. It cleans easily, although I do hand-wash it every night. The only thing that I am dissapointed about is that it would have been nice to know that all the food does not stay separated. I usually give him some sort of fruit and crackers along with a sandwich. The crackers and fruit end up getting mixed and he has soggy sweet crackers which he doesn't usually eat.I would just advise that you think about the ingredients that you put into this box and imagine if they mix, how would they taste? -Florida USA

I recently got interested in the bento box rage and decided to check it out. This is my first "real" bento, although I have been packing my lunch in various containers for years. When I opened the box I was first struck by how pretty the design is--the reason I chose this particular bento in the first place. Secondly I was startled and angered by the small size for the price. I did not research just how big "650 ml" was and was thinking it would be a fairly large oblong with at least a large sandwich sized container and two fairly good sized snack containers partitioned off.

I did think the box was well made, a nice sturdy plastic with secure feeling snaps. The inner boxes are also sturdy and fit well. The bag is also quite cute, and may hold a small granola bar in with the bento. But I still was angry at the size for the price.

Finally, I did some research on the bento concept as put forth by the Japanese. I found that this bento is the size actually recommended for one meal for my age and height. 650 ml translates to 650 calories if the bento is packed with the Japanese mind set and not the usual American fatty fare. Well, I decided to test the accuracy of this, just to prove that the box was overpriced and useless for an adult.

Did I get a surprise! I prepared a meal with the Japenese recommendations in mind. I put a rice combo in the large container. I measured out the cooked rice combo in a standard measuring cup, then filled the large compartment. It held half cup of the rice combo. I filled the other two compartments with carrots and fruit, thinking that this would not be enough to fill me. To my surprise, I found that I was satisfied, not stuffed the way I normally feel when I pack this the usual way (with about triple the amount of rice), but not hungry. I also had to admit to myself that my old portions were actually way too big calorie wise--the bento portions were actually ideal for weight control. I am a visual person, so having a container that "shows" me the correct portion size is a big help. I always tend to overguess otherwise. Previously I had eaten enough calories in one meal to almost make the entire daily total of what I should be eating. Turns out the 650 ml is just right for one meal -about 650 calories if packed the recommended way.

I have since gone through most of my other containers and took note of the ml. According to the Japanese standard, they are huge, and I was packing several of them. No wonder I could not seem to lose weight as I thought I should! See [...] for the recommended sizes.

I do not believe it is necessary to have an expensive Japanese bento to eat according to healthy guidelines. You could easily find a correct sized rubbermaid box for less, but I personally benefit from seeing and handling the smaller Japanese bento boxes. I still think it is a bit overpriced--but I would buy it again to help with my portion control. And the cute design and bag.

I bought this product for almost half the price at my local store here in Virginia. However, if you don't live near a place sometimes it is worth the markup to order online.

It is a cute little box. You can use the separate areas or you can remove them and use the box open. I like the way the lid pops on. Be careful as the lid can crack. I've noticed a few cracks on mine. Would not recommend using in the dishwasher as that would probably be worse. Cute bag! Great size if you are portioning, but not as small as some.

Before I started learning about bento lunches, I would have assumed this box was way too small for a teen or an adult. You really cannot fit an American style sandwich, chips, and fruit into this box. But my daughter and I needed a more compact way to bring our lunches. Many American lunch boxes are just too bulky when you also have a backpack, computer bag, etc. But now that I know more about bentos, I can confidently recommend this particular product.

The capacity of 650 ml translates roughly to a 650 calorie meal, according to Japanese bento standards. That is sufficient calories for an adult's lunch. Using bento packing methods (which means leaving no gaps) I can fit in plenty of food. The key is to pack mostly dense, dry, and hard items, like meat, nuts, grapes, cheese, baby carrots, etc. If you need to pack something wet, cover that section with Press and Seal or plastic wrap. Foods that need a lot of air space to avoid being crushed (like lettuce salad or tortilla chips) would work better in a different type of lunchbox.

The carrying bag is big enough that I can add a small apple or orange, an ice pack, and a short fork or short chopsticks. A frozen juice box instead of an ice pack would fit in there too.

While I have heard that this product can be found more cheaply other places, I thought the Amazon price was quite good. Many bento boxes locally and online start at $20 and go way higher.

Another reviewer said their box has cracked in places. I paid attention to this remark and have been careful to wash it either by hand or in the top dishwasher rack with air dry. So far, so good. Overall, I like this product!

UPDATE: Four months later: The lid has cracked. I don't know how. But it still works. Also, remove the rubber gasket when washing! Stuff will accumulate under it if you neglect that step.

I once had one of those huge lunch bags, with the hard plastic insert in the bottom that protected your sandwich, and it was great. You could chill it and it could hold a lot. But it was huge and as big as the bag I took to work. So after a few weeks of carrying it around WITH my other stuff it ended up in the corner. Unused. Alone. I could mention the brand name but I won't. It was a nice bag, a thoughtful gift, but just not useful for taking my lunch to work.
Then I ordered this cute little Japanese bento lunch box. I've just tried it today, Monday, carrying some left over Chinese food - rice, chicken, egg roll and shrimp toast - from Saturday. It fit in my bag and everything stayed in place. It went through security without causing alarm, I work in a government building, and the bag allows you to add extras - I added a Chinese fortune cookie and a hard boiled egg. At work I nuked it just under two minutes, adding a little water and taking the lid off, and it came out hot but not too hot. It was easy to clean on the spot and everybody thought it was cute. I am already thinking of other tiny things I could put in it. A tiny Egg salad, a tiny tuna fish salad, some crackers, one of those tiny rolls of cheese. I don't really have big lunches but I need something and this is just big enough for me. And it does not have to be Asian food.
You can't fit chopsticks in it but what can you do?

I bought this box in Atlanta at a local store. It works well for traveling and now I use it all the time for work lunches as well as when flying.

Another reviewed mentioned that items can get jumbled together. I found that folding a paper towel and placing it on top before putting on the lid, helps to keep things separated.

From LunchInABox dot net:

So you ordered a bento box online, it arrives and you're shocked at how tiny it is. People try to tell you to just eat less, but you have a sneaking suspicion that you may have accidentally bought a bento box sized for a 2-year-old instead of an adult.

In Japan, bento box size is described not by its dimensions (inches or centimeters), but instead by its volume or capacity (in milliliters -- ml). Why? Because a rule of thumb in Japan is that when you pack a bento box normally
(A: 3 parts grain dishes, 1 part protein dishes, 2 parts vegetable dishes;
B: without candy, junk food or fatty food; and
C: without empty space), calories correspond directly to capacity. So a 600ml box should hold a 600-calorie meal, adequate for everyone from 9 years old to full grown adults.

Check out LunchInABox for lots of guidelines on how to pack a bento (NO empty spaces meaning everything is tightly packed so it cannot move around!) and what to pack, including recipes. I am not affiliated with the site, but found that biggie does a wonderful job of describing the whats and how-to's of bento making. The site is specifically for moms packing kids lunches, but there are many adult bento examples, esp in her older archives.

This particular bento box is 650 ml, so more than adequate for bigger kids or adults. I pack it every day for my son who is 6 and a very good eater. It is a little big for him, so I do not pack it very tight or if I do, he finishes it as an afterschool snack.

I usually put the protein or meat item in the large compartment with the starch (rice, quesadilla, french toast etc) next to it. Then I put green veggies in one of the smaller compartments and fresh fruit in the other.

I personally do not use this box for sandwiches (I like to stand the sandwich up on it's side when packing bento). Thought it would easily fit half a sandwich in the large compartment lying flat.

There was one mom who complained that she thought the food would not move around but found that it did. Well, if a bento is packed correctly, the food does not move! My son's lunch remains intact until he eats it, every day. I also do not pack wet items unless it is in a small lidded container within the bento (hummus, yogurt, ketchup).

I bought 3 different bento boxes 4.5 months ago for my pre-schooler's lunches. This one is BY FAR the best (and now only one I use to pack her lunch). The main difference in this vs. the others is that the removable sections can be taken out and heated individually. Another key difference is the 3 sections versus many other bento boxes 2. I can add a main course to the large dish and a fruit and cheese to the smaller ones and everything is kept neatly separated. I also love that you can see through the top as my daughter likes knowing what I've made her for lunch. I put everything in the top part of the dishwasher and have had no issues with warping or cracking. If/when this does happen, I will not hesitate for an instant to buy another. It has seen so much use and is incredibly convenient and attractive. My daughter's teachers have told me it is the best lunchbox they've ever seen and makes cleaning up extremely easy for them as everything fits neatly back together. I HIGHLY recommend this product!

This bento is adorable and the right size for toddlers or grade school children. You can pack a surprising amount into it, despite its small footprint, and that's nice. It has a lot of charm and the colors are cute. The lid is also absolutely perfect for nursery school, because it stays closed but is so easy for little hands to open! It's also just deep enough for small containers with lids to fit inside, which is helpful if you want to include some hummus, sauce, or other wet foods.

Some complaints:

- No idea if the clear plastic lid contains BPA. It sure looks like it would, with that beautiful, thick, crystal-clear appearance. I've searched around the web and can't find any info either way. When wet items are pressing against the lid it makes me slightly nervous, so I try to stack dry foods at the top.

- It would have been incredibly awesome if the trays inside came with lids. If I can fit a whole second lidded container inside this, there's surely room for the existing trays to have lids. So small/wet foods will mix around a bit unless you use your own contain within the bento.

- I like the bag and use it from time to time in case of leaks, but it would have been smarter to include a thick band (like the type on the panda bento) to further secure the container. With the latches and a band, this would be highly unlikely to open. With the latches alone (or with the bag) it seems like it could conceivably pop open, although mine hasn't yet.

Overall I'd recommend it, if you aren't super concerned about BPA or are willing to contact the company to inquire about it. Invest in some low profile 2oz containers (like these or whatnot, but make sure they fit: [...]