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A Japanese picnic box is a nest of smaller containers, held in a portable lunch box, so that the users can take it to an outdoor feast, such as a flower-viewing picnic. In this case, with a handle and bamboo panels, the nest of boxes is held together as a set along with a bamboo alcohol container, drinking cups and small plates for individual serving. The bamboo frame has a painting of the Rivalry of the Carriages from The Tale of Genji, depicted with a high level of the maki-e gold lacquer techniques of its time. The cloisonne metal fittings in the handle are also of great quality. It is thought to have been order-made for a wealthy person at end of the Edo era or start of the Meiji era.