Healthy, appetizing and economical, it's no wonder that bento are now so popular worldwide. This show will present bento ideas and anecdotes from overseas viewers. Starting with omurice made from the remnants of Christmas dinner, Marc Matsumoto demonstrates how to give your leftovers a bento makeover. Bento guru Maki Ogawa, meanwhile, shows how to use shared ingredients to meet the whole family's bento needs, beginning with a much-loved lunchbox staple: kara-age fried chicken.

Omugiri & Kara-age

BENTO EXPO covers the healthy, appetizing and economical world of bento! On this episode we take a look at bento ideas from our viewers. In the studio, chef Marc Matsumoto makes a delicious and nutritious sandwich bento using leftover meatloaf. Maki shares her favorite tamagoyaki recipes. With the same ingredients and a little ingenuity, she makes 2 dishes: a healthy snack for her children and a hearty meal for her husband. Tune in to find out the secret to making delicious bento!

Meatloaf Sandwich & Tamagoyaki

Marc Matsumoto makes a bento with marinated fried-salmon, Maki shares a recipe for rolls made from boiled vegetables wrapped in meat. And we introduce the most popular bento sold in Taipei Station.

Salmon Nanbanzuke & Maki-maki

Bento Expo covers the healthy, appetizing and economical world of bento! A special thanks to the bento lovers from nearly 30 countries who sent in photos of their bento ideas. On this episode we'll introduce recipes for the most liked photos as chosen by our viewers. Then, bento creator Maki Ogawa shows off an easy-to-make bento that's perfect for a picnic during cherry blossom season. We'll also review some of the most popular bento recipes from previews episodes.

2016-2017 Highlights

On this episode, Marc and Maki introduce variations of the always-popular teriyaki bento! Marc demonstrates how to make a healthy bento featuring a delicious teriyaki maitake mushroom served with scrambled eggs and rice. Maki shows how to make a nutritious bento that pairs everyone's favorite teriyaki chicken with vegetables and a teriyaki-style fried egg. She also teaches us how to make an adorable cherry tomato chick to add to a child's bento.

Teriyaki Maitake & "Oyako" Teriyaki

Mark introduces a nutritious miso-flavored ground pork bento that goes along wonderfully with vegetables. Maki uses oily and delicious mackerel to make a grilled fish and rice bento. This time on Bento Trip, we travel to Indonesia to take a look at local bentos.

Vegetable Garden with Niku Miso & Mixed Rice with Mackerel

Maki shows us how to make a bento using the ever-popular ginger pork. Marc demonstrates how to make a simple and healthy yakisoba bento. We head to Iwakuni, Yamaguchi Prefecture during Bento Trip.

Shirataki Yakisoba & Shogayaki

Marc shows us how to make a colorful bento to eat during hanami, cherry blossom viewing. Maki uses a variety of delicious ingredients to make an easy spring roll bento. This time on Bento Trip, we introduce some bento from Bangkok, Thailand and meet local bento bloggers.

Hanami Bento & Fun Rolls

Maki demonstrates how to make menchi-katsu, a deep-fried ground meat patty that's loved by people of all ages. Her version for bento has cheese inside, making it extra delicious. Recently, fish and miso dishes have been trending in America, so Marc introduces the most popular amongst them: miso salmon bento. On Bento Trip, we head to the city of Akashi in Hyogo Prefecture to get a taste of octopus pot bento, a well-loved local ekiben that uses octopus caught right off the coast of the city.

Miso Salmon & Minced Meat Cutlet

Maki shows us how to make a sukiyaki-style onigirazu (rice sandwich) bento. Her onigirazu are filled with fried eggs and beef seasoned with honey, soy sauce and sake. Marc creates a "one-bite hambagu" bento featuring bite-size hamburger steak. It comes together quickly, so it's perfect for a busy morning. Bento Trip introduces us to Korean kimbap, seaweed and rice rolls flavored with sesame oil. We visit a family in Korea that makes healthy kimbap bento using Western ingredients.

Hamba-gu & Sukiyaki Onigirazu

Marc introduces a kushiage bento featuring skewered and deep-fried ingredients such as chicken, onion, lotus root and kabocha pumpkin. This type of bento is popular because it's easy-to-eat and filling. Maki demonstrates how to make a bento containing chicken that's been cooked with wasabi and soy sauce. When cooked, wasabi loses its bite and imparts a refreshing aroma. On Bento Trip, we head to Kobuchisawa in Yamanashi Prefecture to try a kamameshi bento that showcases local wild vegetables.

Kushiage & Wasabi Chicken

Marc teaches how to make a pork and shrimp shumai bento. Vegetables such as cabbage, carrots and soramame fava beans are steamed alongside the shumai, making for a healthy meal that's easy to prepare. Maki demonstrates how to make a classic tendon bento featuring imitation crab, cod, asparagus and kabocha pumpkin. She reveals the secrets behind making flavorful, crispy tempura using batter made with only flour and water. On Bento Trip, travel to Indonesia!

Shumai & Tendon

Maki uses ground chicken, scrambled eggs and canned salmon to make a mosaic-like soboro bento. She adds vegetables to make it a well-balanced meal. Marc introduces a taco rice bento. Taco rice is a fusion dish with Okinawan origins made with soy sauce flavored ground beef. Marc also demonstrates mixing chopped shirataki noodles into rice before cooking to cut calories. On Bento Trip, we head to Singapore to meet Shirley, a popular bento blogger who shows off her eye-catching sushi roll bento.

Taco Rice & Mosaic Soboro

Marc introduces a simple and delicious salmon roll bento. He stuffs rice paper wrappers with braised pork belly, rice and shiso. Maki demonstrates how to make a yakitori bento, a crowd-pleaser around the world. To make the chicken easy to eat, no skewers are used. The chicken is cooked in a frying pan until the skin is perfectly crispy. Bento Trip showcases Kisarazu in Chiba Prefecture, a city famous for clam digging. The local ekiben there is an asari clam bento.

Summer Roll & Yakitori

Marc creates a lemon chicken bento reminiscent of a dish his mother cooked when he was young. Made with ketchup, it's sure to be popular with children. Maki introduces a colorful bento featuring green bell peppers stuffed with ground meat. She also shares tips on how to prepare it for children with an aversion to green bell peppers. Bento Trip showcases adobo, the unofficial national dish of the Philippines. Marinated in vinegar, adobo keeps well in warm weather and is perfect for bento.

Honey Lemon Chicken & Stuffed Pepper

Marc makes a bento with stir-fried shrimp in chili sauce, a classic Japanese-style Chinese dish. He adds red chili peppers to ketchup to create a sweet and salty flavor combination that children will love. Maki demonstrates how to make delicious temarizushi with marinated vegetables. Temarizushi keep their shapes well, so they're perfect for bento. Plus, they're fun for children to help make. Bento Trip showcases the inrou bento from Mito, Ibaraki Prefecture, which features local ume plums.

Ebichiri & Temari-zushi

Marc introduces a dish from his mother's hometown in Miyazaki Prefecture: chicken nanban bento. The chicken is topped with a Japanese-style tartar sauce made with egg, resulting in an extra-filling bento. Maki makes an umami-packed bento featuring rice mixed with vegetables and other delicious ingredients. The final product is extra colorful, and Maki uses common ingredients, so anyone can recreate this bento at home. Bento Trip showcases a steamed pork patty bento from Hong Kong.

Chicken Nanban & Takikomi-gohan

Maki shows us how to make a ham cutlet bento. Ham cutlet is a popular everyday side dish. Maki makes them with two kinds of fillings: cabbage with cheese, and fried egg. Marc introduces a Japanese style keema curry bento that's flavored with tomatoes, grated apple, and soy sauce as the secret ingredient. Bento Trip takes us to Odawara in Kanagawa Prefecture, where a kinmedai sushi bento is showcased. Maki also makes an original kinmedai tatsutaage bento with hand-made kamoboko.

Keema Curry & Ham-katsu

Marc demonstrates how to prepare a bento featuring okonomiyaki, a savory Japanese pancake made with cabbage, shrimp, and bacon. Maki introduces a simple and delicious mayo-yaki chicken bento. She uses mayonnaise instead of butter when cooking the chicken. Bento Trip travels to Indonesia, where kyaraben (character bento) have become all the rage. A local mother who loves to make bento shares her recipe for a beef balado kyaraben made with cassava leaves.

Okonomiyaki & Mayo-yaki Chicken

Marc demonstrates how to make a delicious and filling pork cutlet sandwich bento, which is widely popular all around the world. Maki introduces a unique hot dog-inspired onigiri bento. Rice is shaped into short, thick cylinders and then wrapped in seaweed. A slit is cut along the length of each onigiri and fillings such as sausages and tuna are placed inside. Bento Trip showcases a shumai bento from Yokohama Chinatown and investigates the secret behind keeping it delicious at room temperature.

Katsu Sandwich & Hot Dog Onigiri

Maki makes a tri-colored karaage bento. She uses three marinades—soy sauce and ginger, curry and yogurt, and a simple brine. This keeps the chicken tender and flavorful even at room temperature. Marc demonstrates a trick for preparing juicy shrimp: whipping them with egg whites before cooking. It can be used to make a shrimp shumai or ebi chili bento. Bento Trip features a popular bento delivery service in Brazil whose colorful, traditional Japanese-style bento are packed in wooden boxes.

Triple Kara-age

Marc makes a colorful, nutritious bento featuring fried cod and a variety of vegetables. Everything is flavored with "3S sauce" (an equal mix of soy sauce, sugar, and sake) that's been boiled with dashi and ginger. Maki shows off various bento she's made using the versatile 3S sauce, including chicken teriyaki meatballs and sukiyaki-flavored onigirazu. Bento Trip heads to a theater in Ueno and features an inarizushi bento with a 160-year history. Maki also makes her own cute inarizushi.

Age-teri

Marc makes a bento with sukiyaki, which is popular worldwide. Maki makes a Japanese-style sandwich bento, with butter-soy sauce pork and vegetables. Bento Trip features a bento shop in Paris, France.

Sukiyaki & Japanese Style Sandwich

Marc demonstrates how to make kakuni, tender braised pork belly. Maki makes pan-fried rice balls seasoned with curry powder and packed with cheese. Bento Trip features a shirasu bento from Hamamatsu.

Kakuni & Curry-flavored Grilled Onigiri

Introducing bento from around the world filled with delicious ideas! This time, we'll show you how to make a miso butter chicken bento and a plump fried shrimp bento.

Miso Butter Chicken & Plump Fried Shrimp

Marc shows you how to make a Hawaiian-style Loco Moco bento with a hamburger patty and boiled egg in beef and mushroom gravy. From Maki, a double Maki-maki bento featuring 2 sushi rolls -- one inside out, and the other wrapped in an egg sheet. Bento Trip takes us to Toyama Prefecture for a look at a traditional Masu or cherry salmon sushi bento.

Loco Moco Bento & Double Maki-maki Bento

From Marc, a salad bento of ramen noodles with colorful toppings, while Maki shows you how to make quick and easy chicken Chashu rolls. Also, a look at the Dutch love for sandwiches on Bento Trip.

Ramen Salad Bento & Chicken Chashu Bento

Marc's bento features gyoza that stay crisp when cold, thanks to panko. From Maki, colorful croquettes made with ham, spinach, and potatoes. Bento Trip heads to Ibaraki Prefecture, home of Japanese chestnuts.

Gyoza Bento & Pastel Korokke Bento

Marc's bento features fried eggplant cups stuffed with sweet and savory miso dip. From Maki, a tender Wafu Steak Bento. And on Bento Trip, a look at Malaysia's favorite portable food, Nasi Lemak.

Nikumiso Dengaku Bento & Wafu Steak Bento

Marc makes a perfect grilled sandwich packed with ground meat curry, pumpkin and cheese. Maki's bento features deep-fried pink salmon with a pure white coating. And on Bento Trip, a yummy wagyu bento!

Grilled Karei-pan Bento & Salmon Tatsuta-age Bento

Maki brings you a healthy version of chicken nuggets using tofu. From Marc, a bento of classic Chinese sweet and sour pork. Bento Trip takes you to Belgium where cold cooked meats are a bento staple.

Drop-fried Tofu Bento & Sweet and Sour Pork Bento

Maki and Marc team up to make a fun picnic bento of crispy fried chicken wings and Ten-musu -- onigiri stuffed with tempura! Bento Trip heads to Nikko for a taste of its famous Yuba made from soybeans.

Chicken Tebasaki Bento & Ten-musu Onigiri Bento

Marc goes Italian, making sushi with balsamic vinegar, olive oil, prosciutto and more. From Maki, crispy sesame chicken nuggets. On Bento Topics, an array of German favorites, including pretzels!

Italian-style Chirashi Sushi Bento & Sesame Nuggets Bento

Marc's bento features mixed rice with 3S sauce flavored chicken. From Maki, pork-wrapped onion rings, finger-licking-good! Bento Topics looks at how to use barley miso, a Japanese regional specialty.

Tori-suki Okowa Bento & Meat-wrapped Onion Rings

Marc creates Japanese-style fritters with rainbow veggies. Maki uses sweet-and-sour chicken to make some funky Chinese steamed buns. We also meet a Dutch family who has embraced slow life, slow food!

Rainbow Kakiage Bento & Sweet-and-Sour Chicken Buns Bento

Marc creates some sweet and tangy orange marmalade chicken. Maki turns pantry staples into a savory "tuna-burg." Also, a look at what bento makers in France and the U.S. are doing while staying home.

Orange Chicken Bento & "Tuna-burg" Bento

Enjoy Marc's Karokke, or original kabocha croquettes and Maki's Ebi-mayo, or shrimp with mayonnaise sauce! We'll also meet some moms in Singapore who are enjoying bento making with their kids at home.

Karokke Bento & Ebi-Mayo Bento

Marc uses a Chinese sauce to make a spicy eggplant dish. Maki brings you a rich sauce Katsu-don bento! We also meet some bento makers on the US West Coast whose creations reflect their cultural roots.

Mabo Nasu Bento & Sauce Katsu-don Bento

From Marc, Salmon Menchi-katsu: deep-fried breaded salmon cakes! Maki cooks up a delicious Chicken-nasu bento with her 3S sauce plus one. Also, a look at Taiwan's "san-bei" or "three-cup" cuisine.

Salmon Menchi-Katsu Bento & Chicken-Nasu with 4S Sauce Bento

From Marc, a sukiyaki-flavored ground meat and spinach Soboro bento. Maki makes a cute Scotch egg bento using quail eggs! Bento Topics look at the popularity of bentos using organic herbs in Thailand.

Sukiyaki Soboro Bento & Scotch Egg Bento

Marc's bento features pork chops with Japan's original ketchup flavored spaghetti Napolitan. Maki makes a one-dish curry pilaf. And from Tokyo Bay, a traditional bento of sweet and savory Anago eel!

Spaghetti Napolitan Bento & Curry Pilaf Bento

Marc's bento features chicken wings braised in a sweet and savory sauce. Maki brings you a bento of meat-stuffed mushrooms. And from Lyon, France, a one-of-a-kind bento full of local specialties.

Braised Chicken Wing Bento & Stuffed Mushroom Bento

Marc makes chicken tender rolls with 2 Japanese stuffing, while Maki wraps her meat rolls with nori! Bento Topics introduces a temple famous for its Zen Buddhist cuisine, including a vegan burger.

Chicken Tender Rolls Bento & Norimaki Meat Roll Bento

From Marc, a dry version of everyone's favorite Nikujaga. Maki uses corn kernels and edamame to wrap shumai. And from London, a bento maker whose popularity is symbolic of the rise in vegan cuisine.

Dry Nikujaga Bento & Colorful Shumai Bento

Marc sautés shrimp with butter-soy sauce while Maki cooks up some delicious shrimp cakes. Bento Topics takes you to Shizuoka Prefecture for a taste of 2 local specialties, wasabi and wasabi-fed Shamo chicken!

Butter-Soy Sauce Shrimp Bento & Ebi Katsu Bento

Mark's bento features sweet and savory steak on rice. Maki uses crabsticks to make a Chinese omelet. Bento Topics takes you to New York City, where teriyaki and bento have become all the rage.

Steak Gyudon Bento & Kanitama(crab and egg)-don Bento

2 chicken bentos! From Maki, Miso Tsukune, and from Marc, Banbanji with sesame dressing. Bento Topics features Kyoto's tasty heritage vegetables and pickles that have inspired a mock-sushi bento.

Banbanji Bento & Miso Tsukune Bento

From Marc, a teriyaki hamburg bento, and from Maki, Chirashi-zushi. Bento Topics features 2 Balinese favorites -- spicy pork satay, and a dish called babi guling that features a spit-roasted pig stuffed with a mixture of spices.

Teriyaki Hamburg Bento & Chirashi-zushi Bento

Marc brings you an all-time favorite -- salmon teriyaki. Maki cooks up a delicious apricot butter chicken bento. And on Bento Topics, Hiroshima Prefecture's famous oysters packed in an auspicious bento box.

Salmon Teriyaki Bento & Apricot Butter Chicken Bento

From Marc, a bento of braised pork belly on rice, and from Maki, eggplant meat rolls. On Bento Topics, Hong Kong's fragrant lap cheong sausages provide a perfect accent to rice and taro cakes.

Buta-don Bento & Nasu Meat Roll Bento

From Marc, crispy fried tofu in a sweet ginger glaze, and from Maki, sweet and sour meatballs. And from Tottori Prefecture, Japan, famous for its sand dunes, a bento featuring another Tottori specialty, crabs.

Crispy Tofu Bento & Sweet and Sour Meatball Bento

Fruit Sando Bento & Hanami Bento

From Marc, a crispy chicken cutlet with creamy egg sauce. Meanwhile, Maki makes a finger food version of Omurice. Bento Topics features the food culture of Japan's popular island resort, Okinawa Prefecture.

Chicken Katsudon Bento & Maki-maki Omurice Bento

From Marc, toasted shiitake stuffed with rice and glazed with miso butter. Maki uses crab sticks to make quick and easy cream croquettes. Bento Topics showcases a yummy bento from the Philippines.

Shiitake Yaki-onigiri Bento & Kani Cream Korokke Bento

Marc grills lamb and veggies in a fragrant curry sauce. Maki glazes chicken with a clear sweet and sour sauce. Bento Topics features Okayama Prefecture's famous Bara-zushi bento, eaten on festive occasions.

Lamb Chop Bento & Tangy Chicken Bento

Marc's bento features sweet and savory Yaki-udon noodles. Maki makes rice croquettes filled with cheese for her Rice Korokke bento. Bento Topics features Poland's favorite dish, pierogi dumplings.

Yaki-udon Bento & Rice Korokke Bento

Marc makes fried wontons filled with spicy pork and shrimp. Maki cooks a whole tomato with rice and bacon to make a one-pot tomato pilaf. And from Matsue, a bento packed with famous Shijimi clams.

Fried Wonton Bento & Whole Tomato Pilaf Bento

Marc wraps various fillings with nori to make a handy sushi sandwich. Maki makes tasty Norimaki salmon fritters. And from Seoul, a Bossam bento of boiled pork and condiments wrapped in leafy greens.

Sushi Sandwich Bento & Norimaki Salmon Fritter Bento

Marc's bento is full of colorful Inari-sushi. Maki makes a crunchy cabbage Menchi-katsu bento. Bento Topics features Karashi Mentaiko, the spicy and umami-rich delicacy of Fukuoka Prefecture in southern Japan.

Colorful Inari-sushi Bento & Cabbage Menchi-katsu Bento

From Marc, a bento-friendly version of Chicken Cordon Bleu. From Maki, sushi rolls with Yakiniku and vegetables. And from Trinidad and Tobago, a bento packed with classics -- and lots of chili peppers!

Chicken Cordon Bleu Bento & Yakiniku Norimaki Bento

Marc pays homage to a regional dish of miso-butter salmon. Maki's deep-fried stuffed eggplant is a favorite with kids. From the coast of the Sea of Japan, a specialty bento packed with turban shells.

Miso-butter Salmon Bento & Fried Stuffed Nasu Bento

Marc's bento features spring rolls packed with a rich and savory filling. Maki uses soy meat to make a healthy dry curry bento. And from Milan, Italy, a bento featuring an all-time favorite -- lasagna!

Harumaki Bento & Soy Meat Dry Curry Bento

Marc makes a bento with Ganmodoki, a traditional tofu and veggie dish. Maki makes a burger with teriyaki-style pork and veggies. And from northeastern Japan, a bento packed with Uni, or sea urchin!

Ganmodoki Bento & Pork Kinpira Burger Bento

Marc dices a thick and tender steak to make a Saikoro Pepper Steak. Maki cooks Sweet Potato Rice in a pot. We also meet a Parisienne who has embraced the concept of sustainability in making bentos.

Saikoro Pepper Steak Bento & Sweet Potato Rice Bento

Marc marinates fried salmon and veggies, while Maki marinates simmered pork. Both dishes can be prepared the night before. From Awaji Island, charcoal-broiled conger pike over sushi rice!

Salmon Nanbanzuke Bento & Braised Pork Bento

Marc makes a triple curry Soboro with ground meat and veggies. Maki uses canned Saba, or mackerel, to make a seafood version of Menchi-katsu. From Bangkok, a bento featuring riceberry.

Triple Curry Soboro Bento & Saba Katsu Bento

Marc tops noodles with sesame sauce and ground meat to make a spicy Tantanmen Bento. Maki uses sliced veggies to wrap her colorful shumai packed with meat and vegetables. From Tokyo, a tempura bento.

Tantanmen Bento & Veggie Wrapper Shumai Bento

Marc makes Ebi Fry, panko-breaded fried shrimp. A perfect match with tangy tartar sauce! Maki pan-fries bento-friendly cabbage rolls stuffed with sliced meat and cheese. From Taipei, a Gua Bao bento.

Ebi Fry Bento & Cabbage Roll Bento

Maki rolls veggies in sliced beef to make her colorful Garden Beef Roll Bento. Marc's bento features Satsuma-age, a traditional sweet and savory fish cake. From Australia, a meat pie bento.

Satsuma-age Bento & Garden Beef Roll Bento

A special episode centered on Aichi Prefecture, featuring bentos made by foreign residents of Aichi. Marc and Maki prepare bentos using Mame-miso. From Nagoya, a Tebasaki chicken wing bento.

Miso-katsu Bento & Miso-chicken Sandwich Bento

Marc tops pork steak with sweet and spicy sauce to make a tasty Tonteki Bento. Maki makes an umami-rich Clam Bento, a longtime favorite of fishermen in Tokyo Bay. From Tokyo, a Tamagoyaki sandwich.

Tonteki Bento & Clam Rice Bento

Maki uses an ice tray to make an easy yet beautiful Mosaic Sushi Bento. Marc makes a Teri-tama sandwich with teriyaki chicken and eggs. From Guatemala, a bento featuring stew, tortillas and pilaf.

Teri-tama Sandwich Bento & Mosaic Sushi Bento

Maki and Marc prepare bentos with Shichimi Togarashi, a blend of 7 spices that is used all throughout Japan. From Tokyo, a hanami bento perfect for viewing cherry blossoms.

Shichimi Chicken Bento & Shichimi Sausage Bento

Maki makes a bento with Oyaki, Nagano Prefecture's beloved dumplings. And Marc makes Ehime Prefecture's famous Taimeshi: sea bream with rice. From Singapore, a bento influencer!

Taimeshi Bento & Oyaki Bento

Maki makes a Miso-mayo Sawara (Spanish mackerel) Bento. Marc makes a Beef & Spicy Mayo Roll Bento. From the Philippines, bento boxes that combine cute characters and traditional flavors.

Beef and Spicy Mayo Roll Bento & Miso-mayo Sawara Bento

In this special episode, Marc reports from a fishing port in the Boso Peninsula in Chiba Prefecture. He makes an original bento inspired by a local specialty, Sangayaki: grilled fish patties.

Sanga-burg Bento

Maki and Marc prepare bentos with Abura-age: deep-fried tofu. Marc makes a Kinchaku Tamago Bento while Maki makes a Pork Inari Bento. From Bali, a picnic featuring Ikan Bakar, a tasty seafood dish.

Kinchaku Tamago Bento & Pork Inari Bento

In this special episode, Marc meets a skilled soup bento maker, Ariga Kaoru. She's known for her easy yet tasty recipes for soup made in vacuum flasks. Marc prepares an original curry soup bento.

Curry Soup Bento & Creamy Kabocha Soup

Today: bentos inspired by regional dishes. Marc makes a Hokkaido Prefecture specialty: lamb and veggie stir-fry. Maki makes Tori-ten fried chicken, a dish from Oita Prefecture. From Georgia, a tasty Khachapuri bento.

Lamb and Veggie Stir-fry Bento & Tori-ten Bento

Marc fries up some shrimp and veggie fritters to make a Kakiage sandwich. Maki makes a colorful veggie Menchi-katsu bento. From Kamakura, a bento featuring a colorful assortment of local vegetables.

Kakiage Sandwich Bento & Veggie Menchi-Katsu Bento

Today: a look at some of the most popular user submissions to our website. Marc and Maki both make use of maple syrup in their bentos. From Hong Kong, a family picnic bento.

Maple-miso Chicken Bento & Maple-mustard Pork Bento

Today: we travel to Tochigi Prefecture and meet some of its foreign residents, including bento makers and restaurant owners. Maki and Marc prepare bentos inspired by Tochigi.

Tochigi Special: Chicken Wing Gyoza Bento & Nori Gyoza Bento

Marc makes a bento featuring goya or bitter melon, a specialty of Okinawa Prefecture. Maki makes korokke, or croquettes, with purple sweet potatoes. From Thailand, a bento in a traditional pinto lunchbox.

Curry Goya Champuru Bento & Purple Sweet Potato Korokke Bento

Today: energizing bentos! From Marc, sweet and savory pork belly on rice. From Maki, a colorful combination of salmon and avocado. From Kawagoe, a bento featuring sweet potatoes.

Stamina Donburi Bento & Salmon Avocado Bento

Today: our chefs share their takes on onigiri! From Marc, sweet and savory beef wrapped around onigiri. From Maki, a "fireworks" boiled-egg onigiri. And from Mongolia, a bento featuring mutton.

Meat-wrapped Onigiri Bento & Fireworks Onigiri Bento

Today: our chefs share their takes on kara-age! Marc opts for tofu instead of chicken, while Maki rolls up thinly sliced pork. From the port of Shimonoseki, a bento featuring fugu, or pufferfish.

Tofu Kara-age Bento & Pork Belly Kara-age Bento

Maki layers cheese and basil between slices of pork to make deep-fried cutlets. Marc tosses crispy chicken in tangy scallion sauce. And from Taiwan, a bento featuring a local favorite: lu rou fan.

Kara-age with Tangy Scallion Sauce Bento & Layered Katsu Bento

From Maki, a delicious one-pan tomato sukiyaki. From Marc, pan-fried salmon and simmered daikon glazed with a sweet and savory sauce. From Arita, a curry bento served in a bowl you can keep.

Salmon Daikon Bento & Tomato Sukiyaki Bento

Today: a special episode focusing on Shimane Prefecture. We meet local bento makers from Germany, Bangladesh and Brazil. Marc and Maki make dishes with a Shimane specialty: snow crab.

California Roll Bento & Crab Rice Bento

From Maki, oysters sautéed in butter, served with miso sauce. From Marc, oysters along with rice cooked in a savory oyster dashi. From Colombia, a fiambre bento wrapped in a plantain leaf.

Oyster Rice Bento & Miso-butter Oyster Bento

Today on BENTO EXPO, Maki fries up quail eggs wrapped in pork, and Marc uses a microwave to make a dashimaki egg sandwich. From Malaysia, a bento featuring Nyonya cuisine.

Dashimaki Egg Sandwich Bento & Fried Meat-wrapped Quail Eggs Bento

Today: a look at some viewer-submitted bentos. Marc makes sobameshi: chopped yakisoba and fried rice. Maki makes kabocha dumplings stuffed with cheese. From Kobe, a bento made with Kobe beef.

Sobameshi (Fried Yakisoba-and-Rice) Bento & Pumpkin Mochi Bento

Today: animal-themed bentos. From Maki, glass noodles form the mane of an adorable lion. From Marc, an elegant peacock bento with lots of veggies. From Singapore, a bento featuring Indian paratha.

Chirashi-zushi Peacock Bento & Glass Noodle Lion Bento

Today: a special episode focusing on Hiroshima Prefecture. We meet local bento makers from West Africa, Malaysia, Vietnam and more. Marc and Maki make dishes with a Hiroshima specialty: lemon.

Lemon-marinated Shrimp Bento & Lemon Chirashi-zushi Bento

Today: a beginner-friendly onigiri bento. Marc shares tips and guidance on how to make onigiri, or rice balls. From Misaki in Kanagawa Prefecture, a bento featuring a variety of tuna dishes.

Onigiri Bento

Today: a beginner-friendly tamagoyaki bento. Marc shares tips and guidance on how to make tamagoyaki, or rolled omelets. From Yanagawa in Fukuoka Prefecture, a bento featuring freshwater eel.

Tamagoyaki Bento

Today: Maki and Marc make bentos using just one pan. Marc prepares scallion oil and crispy chicken. Maki makes a salmon piccata and bacon rolls. From the Philippines, a bento featuring coconut.

Scallion Oil Chicken Bento & Salmon Piccata Bento

Today: appetite-boosting curry bentos. Marc prepares a bento of katsu curry. Maki makes a bento using currywurst sausages. From Yui in Shizuoka Prefecture, bentos featuring sakura shrimp.

Katsu Curry Bento & Currywurst Bento

Today: bentos made with pantry staples. Marc prepares a soy meat shogayaki. Maki uses cans of tuna and corn to make a Japanese-style pasta. From South Korea, a market's unique bento cafe.

Vegan Shogayaki Bento & Japanese-style Tuna Pasta Bento

Today: colorful bentos. Marc prepares a colorful soboro bento. Maki makes a sandwich bento with lots of veggies. From Daigo in Ibaraki Prefecture, a bento featuring a local variety of chicken, Okukuji shamo.

Rainbow Soboro Bento & Green Veggies and Chicken Sandwich Bento

Bento, or lunchbox, is a fun slice of Japanese food culture that more people around the world are sharing. Healthy and delicious foods are beautifully and creatively presented. This NHK series features demonstrations and advice by Japanese bento experts, as well as shares some of the bento pictures and videos sent in by viewers worldwide.

All Episodes of BENTO EXPO

Browse all episodes of BENTO EXPO

Season 1

Omugiri & Kara-age

Season 1 Episode 1 - Aired 12/7/2016

Meatloaf Sandwich & Tamagoyaki

Season 1 Episode 2 - Aired 12/14/2016

Salmon Nanbanzuke & Maki-maki

Season 1 Episode 3 - Aired 12/21/2016

2016-2017 Highlights

Season 1 Episode 4 - Aired 3/21/2017