Japanese bento box can be a great way to enjoy a smorgasbord of tasty dishes on the go. They can also be pretty aesthetically pleasing, with each meal portion being arranged and plated perfectly in its own individual compartment.
Personally, I am a big fan of bento boxes. I just love how my food be separated and placed. Hence, when I saw this “Bento Architecture” by Takumi “Anhelo” Sekiya (@ANHELO69) and his colleagues, I have to share that.
Inspired by the striking similarity between the layout of a perfect bento box and a well built home, Takumi and his colleagues decided to form Kenchiku Bento — a bento box design studio inspired by famous Japanese architecture and hoping to introduce it through fascinating and unique bento designs. Behind the idea of “great spatial composition makes great bento composition”, the four member design unifies architectural layout with that of a bento box. Different from the conventional flat and low-rise bento boxes, Bento Architecture uses multi-layered architecture with interesting cross-sections to try and build a new bento experience.
Lunch Box Inspired by Tokyo Apartment
Recently, Takumi shared photos of a concept called “Tokyo Apartment” inspired by the work of architect Sou Fujimoto (@soufujimoto). The bento takes its design from a modern apartment in Itabashi, Tokyo, and reflects the layout of several smaller living spaces adding up to one housing complex. The design is also meant to reflect the idea of people of many different nationalities living close together in Tokyo, with independent delicacies from different countries (Chinese, Italian, Japanese, etc.) all being placed into separate bento boxes that ultimately compose a larger bento experience.
Besides of the Tokyo apartment, there are two more designs:
Bento Box Inspired by Row House in Sumiyoshi
Bento Box Inspired by 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art
With this layout design, the dining experience can be enjoyed not just by the delicious dishes served, but by the pleasant surprise of discovering different dishes. But the downside is the mobility of the bento box is totally taken away.