For some reason I've only done this every couple of years on JustBento, but to celebrate my Return To Blogging, I thought I'd put together a short list of bento related goodies that have caught my eye.

I've even hauled out Christmas Santa Sideburns Onigiri-man to bring in the cheer. Onigiri-man has evolved over the years that he's been the JustBento mascot, and now he has a goatee instead of sideburns. But originally, he was firmly stuck in the '70s.

There should still be plenty of time to order any of the items mentioned, although in some cases you may need to choose express shipping.

But enough with the preamble: here we go.

Another bento contest to enter for prizes!

Welcome to 2011, the Year of the Miffy, I mean the bunny! I was going to make an onigiri bunny, but a Miffy and friends (more amigurumi bunnies over on Just Hungry) emerged instead. Here's to another eventful year!

Hi everyone. I got back from Japan earlier this week. Together with some gorgeous new bento boxes, lots of ideas for new recipes and tons of photos, I also brought home (or picked up during the 23+ hours of travel time) a bad cold. I hope to be back with new posts here soon.

In the meantime though, here's news of a Christmas Bento Contest by CasaBento, with first prize being a Black Design Kit worth 38€ / $56. Deadline for entry is December 15th. Good luck!

I haven't done a Holiday Gift Guide since the year JustBento was born, way back in 2007 (yes, JustBento is 3 years old and a raving toddler!) The guide back then focused on the practical side of bento-ing, but this time I'm going to go all over the place and pick out items that are just fun, weird or cute as well as practical. I've picked up some items from around the internets that might appeal to bento lovers of all ages and tastes, and arranged them by price range (excluding shipping).

Things have changed quite a bit for bento gear fans in the past 3 years. Back then, you had to This year, I found so many great things available that I've divided this guide into parts based on price. First up: $10 (US) and under stocking stuffers! It's a bit hard to find good quality bento boxes in this price range, unless you go for something plain and practical. But there are lots of gift-appropriate accessories that would appeal to bento fans.

It's that time of the year again. Here are some Christmas and holiday gift ideas for the bento maker in your life, or even someone who's just thinking about making bento in the new year. Perhaps that person is you, in which case you could use this as a list for Santa to refer to. I've made some suggestions in all price ranges, because you never know how generous Santa is feeling.