Kotobuki 2-Tiered Bento Box, Brown/Red Cherry (Sakura) Blossom

I am loving this cute little bento box. It is compact, but large enough to hold a satisfying meal. I like to fill mine with half veggies/fruit, 1/4 protein, and 1/4 carbs. It comes with a removable pickle tray that is handy for separating items in the top tier, a lid for the top tier (which fits nicely into the bottom tier), and an elastic band to hold it all together (mine was red). The amount of calories you want in a meal can be adjusted by using more carbs or protein instead of veggies.This bento box helps me make healthy, well proportioned, satisfying lunches that won't take up much space in my backpack (I used to use a collapsible tupperware, which was great once I was done with my meal, but took up a lot of space while full). I also love that I can separate the components of my meal! Using this bento box also brightens my day by allowing me to put together a visually pleasing meal - it doesn't have to be super cutesy like in the books, just organized. I spend a max of half an hour putting my bento together the night before, depending on how much of what I'm using is leftover and how much I have to prepare.The little sauce containers you can buy on Amazon are a great addition to this bento box; they fit rather nicely inside. They are really easy to fill with soy sauce, despite the small openings they have. For thicker sauces like dressing, just put some dressing into a small dish, squeeze the bottle, and use the suction it creates to fill the bottle. Easy.The only thing to watch out for with this bento is to make sure you put anything that might leak in the top tier, which has a lid. I put frozen raspberries and blueberries in the bottom tier with my salad once, and as they defrosted they leaked juice inside my backpack. The bottom tier keeps solids in just fine, but liquids will seep out. As a result of this I also wrap my bento box in a bandana as backup, and it doubles as a place mat while I am eating (in Japan they wrap their bentos with a cloth to use as a place mat & keep everything tidy).Overall, this a cute, compact, and very functional bento box. I highly recommend it. It looks small at first, but after a few uses, you'll realize that it easily holds a satisfying meal of 400-600 calories (depending on how you pack it). Remember that bentos are about using your space efficiently - wasted space means you won't be able to fit in a full meal.A sample meal for me (that I posted a picture for) is to fill the bottom tier with salad greens and golden raisins in one half, with broccoli and baby carrots on the other half, and a sauce container with salad dressing. Top tier is half filled with rice (nice and compact) and the pickle tray has bite size pieces of a tamagoyaki (Japanese style omelette) made with one egg and a slice of turkey deli meat, and a sauce container with soy sauce.Enjoy!

I eat well as a whole, so transitioning into using the bento boxes wasn't too difficult.It's absolutely tiny or I felt like it was, but I wasn't surprised since I read considerable reviews before choosing this one. After using it a couple of times (packing the first few attemps is an art form) I've come to realize that the portions are ideal I feel sated afterward if I plan carefully. It's taken a bit of practice but I also feel better about my meals using this little box because it forces me to make more consciencious decisions about what I'm packing. I control my food group intake much better in addition to my portions.The out side is aesthically pleasing with a bright cherry blossom designed against dark brown. This is a nice size adult two tier bento box which has a miniture separation tray for pickled stuff, I typically don't use it ( I don't really liked pickled stuff). The top tray has a plastic lid to seal anything saucy although it doesn't seal tight like tupperware would but I typically just use it for marinated meats so it's not big deal for me so I don't have anything particularly saucy I make. There is a bottom compartment which is deeper than the top tier, but you can't pack it all the way because the top tier nests into it. You cannot microwave the lid, but the rest of the bento box if microwavable. The box is plastic and easy to wash. I typically wash it by hand since we don't run that dishwasher everyday. There is a sturdy red band which holds it together (not pictured) I wasn't aware it came with but am totally appreciative of because it's hard to pack condensed meals and often I overpack a bit and rely on this band to hold it together :). I read one of the other reviews who suggested using a hankerchief to wrap around the bento box to catch leakage and double as placement and her advise was great.I typically split the top compartment with some meat/protein substance and use a leaf of lettuce to separate this from a my rice. Anywhere I have space, I stuff peas, lima beans, or soy beans. I have the individual sauce containers (which I purchased separately and) fit nicely inside the boxes with some planning. Most of the sauce containers have a fairly wide mouth so with some practice pouring (or you can simply suck it up) you can easily transport sauces. I would recommend buying a package of these. Since the bento box has smaller portions, addressing your taste palate with the various sauces will help you feel more sated as well. I also have started to consciensciously buy small veggies and fruits which are bento ready like cherry tomotoes, miniture carrots, grapes, raisins, dried fruit (or something that does not take much prep- small bell peppers, blanched broccoli, etc.). There are a whole bunch of misc. recipes for veggies, but I actually prefer much of my veggies not processed with sauces and such. In this bottom container I typically pack sliced carrots (raw or steamed), bell peppers, tomatoes, and misc. small fruit chunks (grapes, raisins, even lima or soy beans)where I have room.When I bought this bento box, I bought "The Just Bento Cookbook" which is supposed to be an ideal cookbook to start with and I'm fairly content with it. It has several recipies that have helped me transition into using my bento box and has nice illustrations to assist with the whole concept. You have to be careful that all the food is cool before you pack it and not to mix cool and warm foods because you'll start ot have issues. I typically try and plan my meals so they work for my main protein dish so I create my bento the night before and let it cool in the box before I refrigerate it. Sometimes, my meals will require me to use my cold leftover rice to be packed in (the bento book suggests getting a rice with a timer for the morning and I find this impractical for my one scoop of rice in my bento box) and it still works fine.

Love this container!Pros:- Thick, durable plastic- Compact and cute (but still mature enough looking for adults)- Airtight top compartment interlocks with bottom compartment, held tightly with elastic band- Holds a ton of food. People have complained about is being too small of a box, but I have a big appetite and this bento holds enough food for lunch and to snack throughout the day. Utilize the space.Cons:- Top compartment lid can get stained with tomato based sauces, use a thin coating of cooking oil so it repels liquid.- Docked a star for NOT being microwave safe as advertised! Put something in the microwave for 1 minute on half power, and it warped the top container slightly, but enough to get on my nerves.Recommend this box for foods that are safe at room temperature or if you have access to a refrigerator, as it isn't insulated and there's no room to store an ice pack. Probably best for adults, as this could get knocked around/spilled in a backpack.