The Japanese bento box, more formally known as obento ... that involves crafting the food to look like anime characters and cute animals, like these octopus-shaped hot dogs.

In her married life, Matsuura developed an urge to make “kyara-ben” (character bento), or elaborate box lunches that feature cute characters, when her only son grew up to be a high school ...

Place the rice mix onto your cling film and wrap it into a tight ball. To create a cute panda, cut a long strip from your nori (seaweed) to make your arms and legs. Then cut small circle shapes ...