Kotobuki 2-Tier Dragon Box

Length Width Height Volume Top Tier (inside dimensions) 7.25" 2.5" 1.4" 340 ml Bottom Tier (inside dimensions) 7.75" 3" 1.5" 450 ml Assembled (outside dimensions) 7.8" 3" 3" 790 ml	Beautiful heavy-duty  2-tiered box in a long lozenge shape. Fairly large, clearly meant to be "man style."  Box is matte black with a bright red Japanese/Chinese character that means "dragon" in both languages (my Chinese colleagues immediately exclaimed "DRAGON!" when they saw it). There is a subtle wave pattern molded into the cover that is probably meant to evoke a dragon. The little golden seal identifies a specific Chinese dynasty, although neither Lei nor Liling could remember exactly which one. Top tier has tight sealing top with a round orange valve, presumably to be used in microwave. Bottom tier is sealed by the top tier, has no interior seal of its own. No interior dividers. Came with a black bento band, no bag or utensils. It's microwavable, but probably not dishwasher safe because of the enameled designs on the top. Purchased November, 2010 at a gift shop in Japantown, San Francisco. Sadly, I don't remember the name of the shop. It was in the same mall as Ichiban Kan. Price: $32 What's it good for? Hearty "man-sized" lunches Hot lunches - this box is unquestionably meant to be microwave safe One hot tier, one cold tier A small lunch plus a mid-afternoon snack Top tier can be used by itself for a small lunch.

Hot and Cold Tiers The most obvious use for a box like this is to use one tier for a microwavable hot entree and the other tier for cold food. Here I used the smaller top tier for leftover takeout Chinese with the empty spaces filled in with some homemade leftovers. I used the larger tier for the snack box because it's big enough for a covered container of yogurt. The rest of the snack box is filled with leftover cupcake, fruit and nuts.	Cold and Hot Tiers Same idea, but this time I used the larger bottom tier for the hot food. This time it's all homemade leftovers, with a salad in the top tier.	Hot and Cold with Removable Silicone Cup Again, hot leftovers in the top, but with a side of cottage cheese (topped with green olives) in a silicone cup. My favorite lunch salad in the bottom: baby spinach with slivers of cold meat, and peppadew pickled peppers stuffed with some sort of soft cheese. Poppy-seed dressing in the bear.		Salad and Snack Box Even when I don't have hot food, this is just a good box to use when I want an afternoon snack to be kept separate from lunch. Big chef's salad in the larger tier (spinach, salmon chunks, grape tomatoes, spicy pecans). The snack box is all fresh fruit with one nut on top for looks - oranges, blueberries, half a persimmon and pomegranate seeds.