Update: The book is out written, and published, and selling well too! Read about it here.

I announced over on Just Hungry that I am working on a bento cookbook tentatively titled The Just Bento Cookbook, which will be published in 2010 by Kodansha International. Here are some more details about it. Please note that it's still early days in the life of the book, so things are subject to change.

• Yes, it will be all in English, and 100% originally written by me, not a translation of a Japanese book.
• To keep the price of the book affordable without sacrificing quality, we decided to go with a softcover book vs. hardcover. Format wise it will be like most popular Japanese bento books, with a softcover and jacket. There'll be lots of photographs within, taken by a professional. (I'm going to Japan for the photoshoot early next year!)
• I have avoided duplicating the recipes that are on this site or on Just Hungry as much as possible, though there are a few basic 'foundation' type recipes. I'm also cramming in as much how-tos and tips as space will allow.
• It will have both Japanese and not-Japanese, bento-friendly recipes. For the Japanese recipes particularly, I am very conscious of sticking as much as possible to ingredients that are relatively easy to get outside of Japan. (Remember this survey? This is what that was all about.) The whole premise behind Just Bento is that it's possible to recreate Japanese flavors with limited access to ingredients that are taken for granted in Japan, and the same principles will apply to the book.
• Most of the bentos can be assembled in under 20 to 30 minutes, with some reliance on premade staples - just like the bentos here!
• There will be a focus on healthy, balanced, attractive yet unfussy bentos - just like here!
• It will have recipes for omnivores and vegetarians alike.
• ETA: The book will be printed in Japan, by the International division of the largest publishing company in Japan, Kodansha Limited (Wikipedia entry; Japanese site). Kodansha International has worldwide distribution. I can't guarantee your local bookstore will carry it of course! But it will most likely be sold on various online bookstores.

Anyway, as I said over on Just Hungry, I am facing a big deadline for the book in a few weeks. So new posts here are going to be a bit sparse for a while, since I want to make the book as good as it can be. In the meantime, please register and participate in the forum if you haven't already. I'll also be featuring some good things from the archives.

So...um, wish me luck! I need it...(mild panic mode ^_^;)

Call for guest posts

I'm putting out a tentative call for guest posts. If you would like to have a guest post featured here on Just Bento during my semi-absence, please read the guest posting guidelines first. Due to time constraints I will only be able to accept posts that are 'ready-to-publish', so please take note of the formatting, format, subject matter, etc. requirements. Thanks! Update: The call for guest posts is closed for the time being. Look out for another call in a few months!