I make character bentos every day for my daughter in kindergarten. I come up with something for every event.Basically, the smaller the heart, the cuter they look. It also makes them easier to pack into bento boxes. Recipe by Meronpannachan

I wanted to come up with a quick way to make strawberries look cute for bento.As you can make 2 hearts from one strawberry, you get more money for your buck.The hearts are so much cuter if you round the edges. Recipe by Hitomikan1027

I wanted to make it easier to form a heart shape.To get a nice heart shape, form two rice balls in different sizes. Make one that is slightly smaller and making the end of one side a bit longer than the other one.Nori seaweed will stick better to the rice if you make cuts on the overlapping slices. Wrap it with plastic wrap and let it rest for a while. Recipe by asamimaeda

I made this to use up the large amount of pink decorative furikake I had left over.If you make the smaller heart as thin and sturdy as you can, when you place them on top it will make a pretty double heart. Recipe by Mionan

I just came up with it. As my gratitude for all the users who viewed my lunch box recipe, I picked up one of the tapas from the lunch box in the top photo. Thank you.Match the sizes of the cucumber diameter and the fish sausage diameter. You can also wrap up the sliced cheese instead of a cheese ball. Recipe by Hikosky

I wanted to make a cute and an easy emperor and empress character bento box for Girls' day.Decorate the kimono with flowers to make it even cuter.Try it with different ingredients! Recipe by Meronpannachan

This is one of the recipes I devised to add color to bento boxes.When I uploaded my ham and egg rose recipe and mentioned that I also make them with cheese or nori seaweed, a friend who say that asked me to upload a ham and cheese version. I hope this is useful to you.I recommend using bright pink, thinly sliced ham.To prevent cold sliced cheese from breaking apart, rub over plastic wrap for a few seconds.Although the cheese will be just straight, you can simply cut the slice into half if you like.If you adjust the top curved part of the ham so that it folds to the opposite side, it will look very nice. Recipe by Momora

I wanted to make a cute Doll Festival bento!It's cute if you add some flowers to the kimono! Recipe by Meronpannachan

This is one of the colorful garnishes I made.I vary these ham roses by adding cheese or nori seaweed. Flavor the omelette anyway you prefer.The main photo shows an early version of this recipe where I cooked the ham, but the recipe itself describes an easier method where the ham is not cooked.Choose bright pink, thinly sliced ham to make the prettiest roses.Put any extra bits of egg in the middle of the roses. Don't roll up the roses too tightly for the best looking results.If you add 1/2 teaspoon of katakuriko potato starch flour + 1/2 tablespoon of water to the beaten egg, the thin omelette will come out very nicely. For 3 roses. Recipe by Momora

This is my second attempt at making doll shaped rice balls!! I wonder if I improved a little??You can design the dolls however you like . This time I used boiled octopus-shaped wieners . (It's a little healthier ). I've used them in about 10-15 bentos You can also use black soy beans for the eyes . For about 4 small rice balls. Recipe by Gomamaron

I rewrote the recipe from "Asami's Bento" past February 2008 post.http://ameblo.jp/asami-obento/Try giving them a scepter and a formal folding fan if you have leftover bits. Recipe by asamimaeda

When I was little, my mom used to put this in my bento a lot. Recipe by MyT09