Bento: boxed meal
Going on a trip for pleasure, such as for hanami (cherry blossom viewing) or momijigari (autumn foliage viewing), is an essential part of life for Japanese people. A bento or boxed meal is indispensable to such a trip.
お花見や紅葉狩りなどの行楽は日本人の暮らしにつきもので、行楽には弁当が欠かせません。
Japanese people enjoy both cooking and having a boxed meal. They will go to work or school with a boxed meal for their lunch. Boxed meals are also enjoyed on special occasions, such as a field day, a picnic, or a school trip. It is therefore impossible to talk about Japanese eating habits without mentioning bento.
日本人はお弁当を作るのも食べるのも大好きです。昼食用として仕事や学校にお弁当を持参します。運動会やピクニック、遠足などの特別な機会にもお弁当を食べますので、お弁当について触れずに日本人の食生活を語ることはできません。
The word bento is also starting to be seen outside Japan, where it can mostly be found on restaurant or takeout shop menus.
bentoという単語は国外でも見られるようになっており、主にレストランやテイクアウトのお店のメニューで見られます。
The “character bento” (chara-ben for short) is becoming increasingly popular nowadays. Characters that children love, such as Hello Kitty, are created using a variety of different-colored ingredients and then packed in a lunch box.
最近では、「キャラクター弁当」(略してキャラベン)の人気がますます高まっています。 ハローキティのような子供たちに人気のキャラクターを色とりどりの様々な食材を使って作り上げ、弁当箱に詰めます。
A variety of Ekiben (literally meaning “station boxed meal”), which are produced using local ingredients, can be bought at stations to enjoy on the train. Convenience stores also sell a wide range of Konbini bento, such as spaghetti and fried rice.
地元の食材を用いて作られる多様な駅弁は、電車の中で楽しむために駅で購入することができます。コンビニエンスストアでは、スパゲッティや炒飯などのコンビニ弁当も幅広く販売しています。
【重要なフレーズ】
弁当:a boxed meal
行楽:going on a trip for pleasure
~には~が欠かせない:… is indispensable to …
運動会:a field day
遠足:a school trip
弁当箱:a lunch box