Editing Bento (section)

==Culture==
In Japan, it is common for mothers to make bento for their children to take to school. Because making bento can take a while, some mothers will prepare the ingredients the night before, and then assemble and pack everything the following morning before their children go to school.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Siegel |first1=Bettina |date=28 September 2010 |title=The Adorable Lunch, Part 2: My Interview With Bento Moms |url=http://www.thelunchtray.com/the-adorable-lunch-part-2-my-interview-with-bento-moms/ |access-date=13 December 2016 |website=The Lunch Tray}}</ref> It is often a social expectation of mothers to provide bento for their children, to create both a nutritionally balanced and aesthetically pleasing meal.<ref name="Allison">{{cite book |last1=Allison |first1=Anne |title=Permitted and Prohibited Desires |date=2000 |publisher=University of California Press |location=Berkeley, California |pages=81–104}}</ref> This activity is expected of the mother and emphasized by society at large,<ref name="Allison" /> and is common in nursery school institutions.

The traditional bento that is eaten at school or at work is most often prepared by the mother or the wife. However, bento can also be bought at ''[[konbini]]'' (convenience stores) or from street vendors who appear on street corners at lunchtime. For those in a hurry who spend their lunch time aboard [[Shinkansen]] bullet trains, ''ekiben'' are available in train stations.

''[[Osechi]]'', an assortment of foods eaten around the [[Japanese New Year]], is typically arranged in a multi-tiered ''[[jūbako]]'' box, similarly to bento.

The slang term ''hayaben'' ({{lang|ja|早弁}}), literally "early bento", refers to eating a bento before lunch and having another lunch afterward.