BBC News lunchboxes

It’s lunchtime here at this kindergarten in Japan Children are eager to see what their parents have made for them In this country, a dried sandwich wrapped in tin foil just won’t do, but a pack lunch has been elevated to just something near an art form So, here we go, this one is a sort of nice rabbits and it’s some kind of a character. That is more in the other parts of the classroom This is another child He’s obviously gotten an artistic mother This rice ball is made to look like a panda Now this table’s has some great ones Here is Hello Kitty, and Teddy bear? And right next her friend is a piano Great isn’t it? Then, some people need a bit of help to learn how to make the perfect pack lunch--a perfect bento The lady who lives in this flat is an acknowledged expert She is been on Japanese TV There is a sign on the door, ‘’bento 4 kids’’ She gives lessons So we’re going to take a look Today, Tomomi Maruo is teaching her class of moms how to make cartoon character, called Totoro using rice and sesame seeds As well as a Teddy bears face out of fish cakes It’s not easy for the students. We have this idea of presentation, how it looks and precisions So I think that’s a part of this culture And what about do you feel there is a competition among moms if you go to kindergarten and on sports day they set bento out together? That must be quite tricky? I feel, oh my god, it’s sports day Then, expectation is getting high and, you know, you have to sit next other moms I feel pressure, certain pressure So this is manga character and what else have you done? Teacher has kept photographs of the best designs That’s a Nintendo Wii controller And an American patrol car What’s this one? The Play Station’s remote controller What’s that made of? Rice and sea weed—Rice and sea weed! And this looks real people at Christmas? Who are they? These portraits? Michel Jackson - Michel Jackson That’s Harison Ford As an Indiana Jones, with the Indianan hat and stubble How do you do the stubble? Sea weed, little sea weed Do you do this kind of character bento every day? It’s fun. I enjoy doing it and my kids enjoy it How long do you spend? If you try to make bento of Michel Jackson, how long does that take it ? People’s faces are very difficult, so maybe takes two hours Back in the kindergarten, lunch is coming Very noisy, and none of them last very long Colorful characters-what took hours to make is being gobbled in a matter of minutes