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A cultural obligation placed on Japanese women is the packing of multiple courses in an obento, a lunchbox with moveable and interchangeable partitioning to serve four-yearolds at yochien (nursery school) or for outings. Similar ekiben (boxed lunches) for adult workers are available at convenience stores and train stations, where box sellers pass them to commuters through the train window. On a par with rice-cooking as proof of a bride’s skill, the cooking of rice, meat, pork, vegetables, and fruit to suit a nursery school child’s taste once determined the reputation of a woman for parenting.