Presentation and aesthetics are an important part of Japanese cuisine and Japanese Bento boxes are no exception.

Bento are prepared with the utmost care and ingredients are selected not only for their flavor and nutrition but also for their aesthetic appeal . Bento packaging may be quite elaborate and is carefully matched with the food for an appealing visual affect.

Bento making has always been something of an art. However, in recent years it has become popular to make actual pictures with bento. It started with Moms who wanted to make their food more appealing to kids by making cute characters with the food. This became all the rage with young kids and soon Mom's around Japan were under pressure to make cuter and cuter bentos. The term "Kyaraben" (from "character bento") was coined to describe this new phenomenon.

People have become increasingly creative with Kyaraben and there are now national Kyaraben competitions in Japan. Kyaraben are some of the most visually interesting food ever created.