We were in Japan (Kagoshima, Kobe, Tokyo, Hakodate, Aomori) recently and fell in love with many things, esp. the food. Basically we ate local everywhere, searching out popular spots outside of tourist areas. In Hakodate we saw bento lunches for sale at the train station and it was so appealing that I started looking in Bento upon our return home. Voila, JustBento and JustHungry popped up and off we go on a new experience. My approach to this is like many other things that I try, first learn the basics, practice and then assemble. So far Salmon Teriyaki, Furikake-Sardine (#10), Tamago-yaki and Miso Soup are going well, all from the basic ingredients. Today we went to Pacific Mall and picked up a stainless Bento box for $3.99 at Galtak Houseware in the Market Village next door. They also have Lock&Lock containers. The food ingredients came from Sanko and T&T. Next is a bit of practise making maki-sushi, then my first Bento lunch. Our favourite stores here are T&T (Cherry Street),Market Village/Goldfield Food Mart, Tap Phong (Spadina Ave) and Sanko on Queen St. We are rather blessed living in Toronto, it doesn't matter what cuisine you choose to try, there is lots of ingredients available. I am already proficient with Indonesian cooking, and we are now really looking forward to Japanese . My wife is very proficient with western style cooking and also baking. Together we just love to create meals that satisfy our curiosity about food. Thank you for creating this wonderful site, it means I don't need to learn Japanese just yet :-)