In a bright Tokyo kitchen studio you spend an afternoon or evening turning fresh ingredients into a kyaraben, the playful character bento that has become one of Japan's most beloved edible art forms. Guided by an expert instructor, you shape rice, fold egg and arrange ham and vegetables into a lunch box modelled on a favourite animation character, from Pokemon and the Minions to Gudetama and SpongeBob.

The bento has been a staple of Japanese daily life for decades, carried to school and to work by children and adults alike. Far more than a packed lunch, it is arranged with real care into a neat, colourful composition, and a beautifully made box is widely seen as a quiet way of showing affection for the person who will open it. Your instructor shares this history and culture as you cook, so the class becomes a window into everyday Japan as much as a hands-on workshop.

Along the way you learn the small tools and clever techniques Japanese home cooks use to give a bento its cute, precise design, from cutting seaweed faces to arranging each element for maximum charm. The menu can be adapted for vegetarian, pescatarian and gluten-free guests when you let the team know in advance, so everyone leaves with a box they can happily eat.

When your creation is complete it is not simply lunch or dinner but a genuine work of art, and you sit down to enjoy the kyaraben you made yourself, served with a cup of Japanese green tea. You even take home the recipe, ready to recreate a little piece of Tokyo in your own kitchen.