Hello everyone, My name is John and I just joined the site today. I am a professional writer and photographer specializing in natural history subjects. I also have a deep and life-long interest in Japanese language, literature, and culture. I have traveled to Japan many times and can't wait for my next trip there (although when that will be I don't know). Out here in the western, rural U.S., bento shops are not easy to find so I generally make my own (I have to travel almost forty miles into the city of Portland to buy many Japanese ingredients at a specialty Japanese grocery store there). There are a few good bento shops as well as other types of Japanese restaurants in Portland, so I'm not completely "out in the wilderness." I look forward to interacting with people here and learning more about bento. Cheers, John