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Bento can be such amazing things. Yesterday we reported on the golden New Year’s osechi bento which is going to sell for nearly a quarter of a million dollars. Today we bring you some images and videos of bento lunches which are far more humble and in some ways just as artful and special as the fancy rich man’s meal in the opulent 18-carat-gold container. The images are nice, and feature some familiar characters. But for the real tour of artfully composed and constructed bento meals, watch all three videos. You will be almost overwhelmed with both the cuteness and the striking artwork, all made completely out of edible foodstuffs. There’s even a list at the bottom of the link of the sample ingredients used in these unusual-looking meals. Perhaps it will inspire you to attempt to create your own. Oh, and for a special treat, make sure you watch the third video, or at least the first couple minutes of it. It starts off with a truly rocking Japanese punk version of “The Mickey Mouse Club Theme”. (Japanstyle – Marvelous Art Bento Meals)
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Opulence. This Japanese bento box has it. And it is being offered for sale by high-end department store chain Takashimaya as this year’s osechi, or New Year’s meal set. Yes, for a mere $229,000, buyers of this special three-tiered bento box can partake of a rich tradition of eating special foods at the new year, which in Japan dates back to the late 8th century. It’s just that in this case, while the foods in the box will be of exceptional quality, their expense will pale in comparison to the hand-crafted 18-carat gold box in which they will be contained. About 3,300 grams of gold will be formed into the box shape by famous Japanese goldsmith Koichi Ishikawa. The elaborate surface design, which incorporates leaves, grapevines and grapes, will be carved into each tier of the golden box by Hoseki Okuyama, a sculptor who has been designated a living national treasure by the Japanese government. For those who have the disposable income, Takashimaya will start accepting orders for this amazingly elaborate meal set this October. But even for the wealthy, securing a set may still be a challenge, as only three are scheduled to be made. This is a pretty amazing thing, particularly when one considers how distasteful the Japanese find obvious displays of wealth. And as far as we’re concerned, this beats the cost and extravagance of any meal we can recall reading about in the Nieman-Marcus Christmas Book. (Wall Street Journal Japan RealTime – Costly Golden Bento Box)
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