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Charaben (or kyaraben) are the almost too cute to eat bento boxes beloved of Japanese schoolchildren. Parents rise extra early in the morning to prepare popular characters from the likes of Pokémon and Disney out of rice and vegetables. In fact, they’re even banned in some schools, so fierce is the competition for the charaben crown.
In the video below from Great Big Story we meet food artist Tamomi Maruo, who spends up to an hour every morning making charaben and is so proficient at crafting the fun edible characters that she now teaches classes in it.
Great Big Story have made a series of films focusing on Japanese food culture, including ones on the fastest mochi maker in Japan, and chanko nabe, the famous ‘sumo soup.’
Have you heard about mosaic sushi, the too good to eat food trend sweeping Japan?
