Have you ever had a bento box for lunch before? If you have then you know of the unintentional design or aesthetic of how Japanese lunch looks like. Most Japanese people pack lunch for school or work and the bento box is the perfect method of putting together a well rounded meal. Some may take a more creative approach in piecing together a bento. Face Food Recipes is a book that demonstrates how a bento can be put together with cartoon characters. This style of bento is known as “charaben”.

The book takes intricate and brilliant charaben (bento boxes of characters like Astro Boy, pirates, Zelda, Spider-Man, Ponyo, Naruto and more) and demonstrates how to put them together with easy-to-follow instructions, funny stories and bright photography.

Dating back several hundred years, the Japanese bento box is as integral a part of the country’s culinary identity as sushi. Today, a contemporary version of the bento box exists, inspired by the rampant popularity of movies, television shows and manga. These charaben, made by parents (mostly mothers) eager to bring attention to their children’s lunch boxes, comprise food crafted into visually creative, appealing and recognizable forms, and are as much about planning and preparation as nutrition.