What’s For Lunch? Kyushoku (School Lunch in Japan) *Food Feature*
Kyushoku (給食: literally, granted food) is what they call school lunch in Japan. Most teachers can choose to pay for kyushoku or bring their own lunch, but some schools will require that students eat kyushoku. So far, my elementary schools make the kids eat kyushoku while my middle schools don’t. However, I’m sure it differs depending on the school and the area. But what can you expect when you order school lunch in Japan?
Kyushoku tends to be very formulaic. There's almost always rice, soup, a main dish, and milk. The soup tends to be light with lots of vegetables. Sometimes there’s also tofu or a little meat in it too. While my elementary school lunches come with a whole bowl of soup, at middle school we just get a cup. The main dish is usually the major source of protein, often fish or meat, with a side of more vegetables. Some days they’ll mix things into the rice, but more often than not it’s just plain white rice. Whole milk is also a lunch staple due to its nutritional value. While this is the standard form of kyushoku, they do occasionally change things up. Sometimes, the soup is the main dish with more meat. Sometimes, there are noodles or bread instead of rice. Sometimes, it’s more Western-style dishes. Regardless, kyushoku is generally good and made from local ingredients.
If you’re working as an ALT at a school, often they’ll ask if you will want kyushoku when you’re first introduced. However, the procedure is different at each school. At my elementary schools, everyone who eats kyushoku gets the same food. On the other hand, my middle schools have multiple choices for kyushoku, so you have to choose at least a week in advance which one you want. To do that, they gave me a card to add money to and put in a machine to choose my meals. The machine gives back your newly updated card as well as a piece of paper to give them when you go to get your lunch.
Getting school lunch in Japan has many benefits. For one, it means you don’t have to bring your own lunch, which can be a hassle. I already carry so many bags with all my stuff since I go to a different school nearly every day, so it’s nice not to have to carry another thing. Also, kyushoku is a great way to try new foods. Most schools will have a menu you can check if you want to know what lunch will be, but it’s just as fun to leave it up to chance. Or, at least, it’s fun until you walk into school one day and learn they’re serving natto for lunch. I had several teachers check on me during natto day because they know foreigners don’t usually like it. Finally, kyushoku is cheap. At my schools, it’s around 300 yen per meal, or a little less than $3. Though you could probably make cheaper meals on your own if you’re really penny-pinching (or yen-pinching), that’s a pretty good price.
(My middle school kyushoku, complete with stackable bento boxes.)
(The stackable bento boxes in action. There are grooves so they fit together without sliding when you carry them.)
(My elementary school kyushoku during one of the less formulaic days. There was more tofu and meat in the soup and also some small fish and nuts on the rice, so what would normally be the main dish became a pile of vegetables.)
Unfortunately, as with a lot of food in Japan, kyushoku is usually not vegan, or even vegetarian unless you aren’t counting fish. Japan isn’t particularly good about vegan/vegetarian food in general, as a lot of food contains at least some meat, so, naturally, school lunch in Japan is the same. Even foods you wouldn’t expect might have small amounts of meat-derived seasoning. If you have any dietary restrictions–vegan/vegetarian, religious, or allergies–be very careful about what you eat in Japan.
Getting kyushoku for school lunch in Japan is a good, cheap, convenient way to try new foods. However, it is fairly formulaic and unlikely to be suitable for people with strict dietary restrictions since it’s also not always easy to check the ingredient. Still, it’s a great option to have on the table (hehe).
