HOW DO YOU MEET THE NEED FOR TRAVEL WHEN TRAVEL IS RESTRICTED? WE FOUND THE ANSWER IN A BENTO BOX. THE AUDIO-BENTO WHEN MAJOR JAPANESE SHOPPING CENTER LUMINE LAUNCHED ITS TRAVEL EXPERIENCES BRAND RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, THEY FOCUSED ON ONE OF THE BIGGEST ATTRACTIONS OF TRAVEL: FOOD. THEY DESIGNED A BENTO PACKED WITH POPULAR MAIN AND SIDE DISHES FROM THE SCENIC REGION OF YAMAGATA. THEN, VIA A QR CODE ON THE BENTO WRAPPER, THEY LINKED THE BENTO TO AN EVOCATIVE TWENTY-MINUTE AUDIO TRAVELOGUE SET IN YAMAGATA. (THE TRAVELOGUE FEATURED LOCALS TALKING COLORFULLY IN THEIR REGIONAL DIALECTS ABOUT THE DISHES IN THE BENTO, AS WELL AS THE REGION’S CLIMATE AND CULTURE.) (THE BENTO WRAPPER SERVED AS A LUNCH MAT FEATURING POETIC DESCRIPTIONS OF EACH DISH, PROVIDING USERS WITH A BEAUTIFUL MAP OF THEIR “TRIP.”) THROUGH EVERY VIVID SOUND AND EVERY DELICIOUS BITE, THE USERS WERE TRANSPORTED TO ANOTHER PLACE FOR A VIRTUAL LUNCHTIME VACATION. DESPITE MINIMAL ADVERTISING, THE BENTOS SOLD OUT EVERY DAY. AS A RESULT, LUMINE’S NEW TRAVEL BRAND WAS ABLE TO QUICKLY ESTABLISH ITSELF AS A PROVIDER OF UNIQUE TRAVEL EXPERIENCES—AN IMAGE THAT HELPED THE BRAND’S SUBSEQUENT REMOTE TOURS ALSO SELL OUT. WE WERE ALSO ABLE TO INTRODUCE A NOVEL AUDIO-CULINARY EXPERIENCE THAT GARNERED GREAT INTEREST FROM REGIONS ACROSS JAPAN, AND THERE ARE ALREADY PLANS FOR A SECOND AUDIO-BENTO. “A BENTO THAT FEELS LIKE AN ACTUAL JOURNEY.” –DAILY SHINJUKU “A SHORT VACATION VIA LUMINE’S NEW BENTO EXPERIENCE.” –CITYLIVING ”I’LL EAT THIS AT HOME AND GO ON A SHORT VACATION.” --@JUN1_1883 “FOR JUST 20 MINUTES, I FELT LIKE I WAS IN YAMAGATA.” –KUMIKOTAKO0935 “I WENT ON A 20-MINUTE TRIP WHILE EATING A BENTO.” --@JOYCOOONOTE “I LOVE THIS WAY OF ’TRAVELING’ TO YAMAGATA.” –LUKE2350410 “THE PERFECT BENTO LUNCH FOR ONE.” –JOSHI TABI JOURNAL A VIRTUAL LUNCHTIME VACATION PRODUCED THROUGH SOUND AND TASTE THE AUDIO-BENTO