HONG KONG -- Kamakura Foods, a Hong Kong startup founded by a Japan-educated former Sony chip engineer, is challenging the bento market in Japan, where the boxed lunches originated. The company plans its entrance not through providing the food itself, but by introducing a tech-based platform for serving bentos automatically.
Bentos fill the bellies of many people every day across Japan, including businesspeople during busy lunch hours. Some are made at home, but many thousands are sold at convenience stores and specialized bento shops, and even by restaurants to meet peak lunch hour demand.
