Kyushoku: The Making of a Japanese School Lunch 

SUBTITLES! I have two English versions. The regular "English" only translates the Japanese portions. The "English UK" subtitles have captions for the entire video. If you don't know how to change your subtitle settings, check out support.google.com/youtube/answer/100078

When a poor school in japan is best than a luxury school in your country

It's sad that if they tried having students rotate duties like cleaning and serving lunch in the US, a lot of parents would protest and say that the school is making slaves of their children. But the real goal is to teach the students humility, develop their character, and to make them a better person. Also, I think the students would think twice before littering because they know that eventually they would have to clean the mess they created.

I spent two years working at Japanese junior high and elementary schools and ate kyoushoku every day and have to say it was always excellent. The quality and variety was great. More countries need to examine how schools in Japan are run.

it honestly makes me feel a little emotional, how much everyone cares about the kids, how well they all seem to get along, and how integrated the sense of appreciation and understanding of the food is into their lives. the community cared so much and made the school nice for them while they had the opportunity, and everyone works together to keep it running well...and again, they really seem to actually care about the happiness of the kids. it's just so nice. I wish the rest of the world was more like this.

Japanese schools have nutritionists. Freshly made food from scratch. The principal tests the food before the children ever eat. Maybe it's time we learn from these schools.

This video showed more than food lunches. It showed children being raised to learn about community, respect your teachers and peers, social skills, nutrition, hygiene, helpfulness, not to be selfish, manners, food preparation, being grateful, learning and writing, life skills and many for habits which will help them in life. No doubt they learnt this from their parents, but the school reinforces ethics and values and give them more than just reading and writing.

懐かしすぎて涙出てきそう お昼の放送聴きながら、みんなでワイワイ食べて、食べたあとはドッジボールしたり図書室行ったり… この頃にもう一度戻ってみたい

As a kid at a Japanese school, I learned how to negotiate with others (especially girls who didn't eat much) to give me food and bribe the caterer to serve me extra food. Good times.

I am a Japanese. 66years old. When I was a child, I had the same style of lunch called Kyushoku. It means more than 50 or 60 years kyushoku has been kept in Japan. Isn’t it incredible ?

Kids in Japan: can serve their own lunches Kids in America: can't even return all of the markers

No joke, this food looks absolutely delicious and I would eat this everyday now. It doesn’t matter that I’m a grown person and many years out of elementary school!

This is true. I'm a Kyoto resident for 20 years now. The school where my kids attend have a garden where they grow their own food. Sometimes, as an Italian vegan chef, I got invited to teach them how to prepare healthy foods. I even have a name for it, Tachibana Happy Meal🍱

I love that the food cooks are dressed like they’re about to perform a surgery

imagine going to a school that actually cares about their students and their health all the while helping them grow ... DAMN

中学生までは給食が義務付けられていて栄養をきちんと取れて生活出来ていたけど、高校生になってから片親育ちで栄養をあまり取る機会が無くなって栄養失調で何回か体調不良になったことある。ほんとに給食大好きだった。動画内で小学生が配膳準備してるのを見て懐かしく思えた。戻りたい……

RU-vidで探せば発展途上国の小学校の給食なども見れますが 日本の子供は思いっきり恵まれてますね。 それもこれも、戦争で負けてから国のために必死に頑張ってくれた老人たちの おかげです。感謝の念で一杯です。

You know, I'm struck by how many customs or habits that Japanese kids get simply just from going to school. From things like helping serve the food, clean up, itadakimasu, gochisousama, brushing their teeth, if your doing this stuff everyday I can see how it contributes to how Japanese people are "Japanese".

"We take life from vegetables so we can live (and we must appreciate this)." That's a quote I won't soon forget. 8:58

I went to Japan in 2009 with a rather large group. We were there representing our home city as we are partnered with a Japanese city. Where ever we went, if it was going to be a meal time, the folks where ever we were made sure there was food like this. One day we visited an elementary school to watch a performance of their jazz band. Afterwards the children served us lunch the same way they do here. I thought it was a special treat until I spoke with our guide. She informed me that this was a very normal part of the school day. Once we were told that, many of our group offered to help clean up afterwards. In western society, someone treating you to a good lunch would shoo you away. Instead they gladly accepted the help and taught us how to stack everything and sweep up. It was a quite the experience.

I honestly wish I could have been raised as a Japanese child. I understand there would be things I’d dislike about it of course, but at least I would have far more discipline and far more ability to see myself as part of a group, as well as have more patience and understanding. I would have gotten more out of my education also. Massive respect for Japanese parents, teachers and students alike.

The fact that the principal regrets not being able to eat with th children just shows how amazing and humble Japan as a country is

Japan schools : Have nutritionists My Country: You can still eat the bread, just remove the molds.

I have been to Japan twice and believe that Japan is one of the most impressive countries in the world. Bravo Japan and the wonderful culture you have.

This is exactly the same as it was about 40 years ago when I was in elementary school and nothing has changed. School lunches in Japan are the best.

“We don’t Cook the same meal more than once a month” America: *serves the same greasy/frozen pizza and stale fried for a week straight*

I didnt see one overweight child. And most plates were clean after, theyre doing something right for sure.

I am Japanese. This is why there is no vegan in Japan. Balance is important for meals. It is said that vegans are healthy overseas, but from the perspective of Japanese people, they are just a biased diet. Humans are not herbivores.

日本人です。栄養士の先生って、なぜか美人が多いんですよね！😂そして優しい。自分のいた学校の給食室は、信じられないほど毎日ピカピカに掃除されていました。自分が大人になって、それがどれほど大変な作業たったのか理解でます。過去の大人に感謝ですね☺️🙏🏾

I'm japanese dad who have two sons.elder son is high school student in 3rd grade,younger son is junior high school student in 3rd grade. In general,junior high school and primary school has kyushoku system,but high school has not.I cook lunch box every single day for elder son🍴👍.But it's little bit harder😫 Kyushoku system is very good for us.it's so healthy and cheap(only 5000yen a month!),so helpful for parents such like me. I appreciate to japanese school lunch system,so much❗

They don't offer the same dish more than once a month? Man that's dedication, above and beyond!

How noble and what a honor to see the Nutritionist take her job so seriously and her dedication to not only her field, but, the accuracy of fulfillment shows her personal commitment to the kids. She is a true rare Gem to be appreciated and honored. Thank you for taking such care of a vital part of Healthcare cycle that begins and continues in the school system and beyond.

Taking turns in preparing, serving, and cleaning up lunch for the school lunch duty, and having the children clean up their own classrooms before going home are also part of the social learning experience that helps them learn the significance of voluntarily keeping the environment clean through their own experiences. All of this is part of the idea that in order for each child to grow into an independent adult, school is not only about learning, but also about learning about society through their own experiences during their daily school life. They learn the necessity of these basic daily behaviors through real-life experiences and develop habits in their children. While it is very difficult to change one's behavior as an adult, it is easy to acquire them as a child, and once acquired, life thereafter becomes easier and smoother. These Japanese-style education teaches children wisdom and basic behavioral habits at school that will help them survive in social life when they become adults. Of course, the reason why this concept has been taught in Japan since ancient times as a form of discipline education for children, and has continued to the present day, is because it is a necessity that everyone living in Japan must learn in order to survive in the unique natural environment of Japan, a warm and humid island nation surrounded by the sea, which is geopolitically very different from life on the continent. In Japan, during the period of compulsory public elementary school education (ages 6-12), children attend school and go to school under the guidance of the Board of Education of each local prefectural government, which determines the system of attending elementary schools under its jurisdiction independently for each region. In many cases, elementary school students in the neighborhood where they live form a group as ”a children's association”, and each year, a leader student is chosen and the children gather in groups under the leader to go to school alone. This is called the "group school attendance" system. In public schools, children from all neighborhoods, regardless of parental wealth, gather together and go to school alone. Each children's association has its own fixed route to school. Therefore, there is no need for parents to drive their children to and from school. The PTA organization, consisting mainly of parents from the community, takes turns assisting the children to school at designated areas, such as busy and dangerous intersections, with volunteers including mothers of children in the children's association and retired elderly people from the community. (They carry yellow flags for traffic safety and assist with traffic signals, etc.) There are two advantages to this system: One is that the children's parents can commute to their own jobs in the morning, saving time from having to attend to the children's transportation to and from school every day. The second benefit is that children do not have to depend on their parents to go to school, and instead, they are able to foster a sense of independence and self-reliance by going to school together. This is a great opportunity for children to experience and learn about social activities. This is possible because all parents and adults share the awareness that "all children are the treasure of society" and that "helping children grow is an important factor in improving society in the future. It can be done because all adults (not just their own children) share the awareness that "helping all children in the community in which they reside grow up is an important factor for the betterment of their own country and society," and because they believe it is important to "support and help each other to grow up, not just their own children, but all children in all communities." They also believe that by allowing children to go to school alone, this activity will help them to lose their habit of relying on adults, to look after their environment and protect themselves by themselves, and to grow in the spirit of self-responsibility and self-reliance.

I studied at a japanese university in a rural province once, and i remember being super impressed by their school lunches which were all made by local grandmas. Was delicious, nutritious, and cheap. I really miss those days ...

The nutritionist is such a beautiful person. Inside and outside.

日本人として「自分たちで掃除をする（教室だけでなく、体育館や下駄箱、職員室、トイレなども）」「給食を自分たちで配膳し、余りがないように工夫をする」という学校教育って当たり前すぎて、今海外の方々に注目されてるなんてビックリ！ 自分たちの身の回りの事は子どもであっても責任を持って行うっていう教えは確かに大人になった今でも教訓になってるんじゃないかな。 日本人はゴミを持ち帰るからビックリした。って言ってる海外の人いて、すごく誇りに思った😊 そしてなんと言っても給食は栄養バランスが本当にしっかり考えられていて、尚且つ…めちゃくちゃ美味しい😆😆😆 大人になっても毎日食べられたらいいのに😂

見ているだけでとても懐かしく感じました。もう一度あの時の給食を食べたい😭本当に美味しかったな。 後、給食のお陰で友達も増えた覚えもありますね。

Japanese culture is so rich, humble, and beautiful. Like, this is actually beautiful.

"we don't cook the same food item more than once a month" me : *shook asf because I literally had the choice between stuffed shells, chicken patty, or pizza every single mf day*

ウチのお母さんが『給食食べてるから大丈夫！』って給食の栄養バランスに絶対的な信頼を置いてたな(笑) 給食が大好きだった♥️ じゃんけんでデザートの残りを勝ち取るのは全国共通だよね？

I wish there is a way that Japan could share their manner teaching techniques / food etiquette and processes / school programs and many good quality processes with the whole world. Loved this video!

Japan: full meals set by strict regulations and designed by dedicated directors hired by local schools America: 1 frozen sliced pizza, take it or leave it

America: “My kids can’t breathe with a mask on!” Japan:

Japan should be an inspiration to the rest of the world - this is incredible.

日本人です。子供の頃のことを思い出しながら楽しく観ました。 私の母は、毎月配られる給食表をチェックして、家庭での献立が給食と被らないように考えてくれていました😊 地域ごとに給食メニューが違ったりするので、他の地域出身の人とメニューの話をするのも面白かったです。 I’m Japanese. I remember my mom always checked my kyushoku menu, which was provided by the school every month, and considered breakfast and dinner menu for my family to have us eat something different. Sometimes each area has their own/unique menu, so it was fun to talk about it with people from other regions.

from their schools, you can see a country's future.

The irony is that people think this level of quality is the result of government spending, but the reality is that this quality is the result of the careful care of the community and hard-working staff that work and care for the schools. There is an over-arching emphasis on the community and care of that community by the families and individuals inside the community. Something that Europe & America can learn from.

I work in a low-income school in downtown Minneapolis. When I say that watching this video is like watching something from another planet, I really mean it. The food we have here is frankenfood (meaning often processed foods, and lots of oils and salt), but it’s the best we can get right now because education in the states is NOT well-funded in comparison to military funding. Also the organization, the pleasant smiles, the manners, the serving of others, the sense of community and the peace of all this is just wonderful to see. It makes me sad though. My school is trying, but we still have stressed out kitchen staff screaming at the kids, deans overseeing lunch to handle fights that break out every two weeks or so, kids standing up and running around, and tired and hardworking janitors cleaning up all the messes that everyone leaves behind. It’s just sad by comparison. I wish that we could find a way to change, but it’s only possible with an attitude shift, and that will take a loooooong time. So, I take hope, pleasure and encouragement in just watching the success of places like this with well-established nationwide attitudes that serve the community beyond just the self.

Japanese school lunches use a variety of ingredients for children with allergies. There is a mechanism that allows each person to take proper nutrition.

they have a school nutritionist? that explains it all...

I feel like they live in a separate world everything that they do is done smoothly and well organized.

My USA school lunch was reheated frozen fast food basically - completely void of nutrients and they deemed French fries as an appropriate vegetable. A couple of times I almost broke a tooth on plastic pieces inside of a chicken patty in the sandwich I ate. Japan really takes care of their children and citizens ❤❤❤

The U.S. school lunchs have Never been this good with so many fresh vegetables & where the kids have to help with lunch so that things go faster & help each other. Great to see the students doing something to help.

I'm 60. I went to a Japanese elementary school in a small local town in Japan. Our school Kyushoku was so tasty every day. Amazingly It was 50 years ago.

In USA school lunch is pizza,deep fried potatoes chocolate milk, and chips And pizza is count as vegetable in USA

I gotta say, as a Canadian, watching your videos sure gives me an updated view of Japan. From their seemingly well organized schools and their healthy lunch plans. I can see why Japan is a successful country.

I love how you put history of Japan's school lunches in your video.

Congratulations. You won the approval of the school authorities to enter the school to make this video, and I am sure that they were not disappointed in the trust that they put in you. You have given us a view into the schools in Japan, and into the way that Japanese society values children.

This leaves me speechless. I used to be a head chef in a school cafetria for 7 years in Germany. We worked hard for good dishes made from fresh ingredients. We had half the money to spend and 1/4 of the staff. We cook double the amount of food per day. How come a wealthy country like Germany won't spend money on the well being of their offspring. Here it is all about efficiency and making profit. The gouvernment kind of sets the rules, but private contractors bend these rules as far as possible. Thank you for the inspiration!

I. Absolutely. Adore. The way these Japanese schools teach through their lunch program. And I love how seriously they take it. When I worked in our high school’s kitchen, we were lucky to have 5 people every day to feed 300-400 kids. There was always something going on, we’d have to send someone to another school, it was chaos. Thirteen would be a D R E A M. And I really love the variety in the dishes. There’s a repetition in that there are always stews and rice, but they’re different. Different sources of protein, different kinds of stews to introduce different flavors, and using what’s in season for the best flavors. Delicious!

This is a very good lunch system for the kids. It teaches them many things like teamwork, self-sufficiency, the importance of cleanliness and nutrition, agriculture, responsibility, a sense of community effort and efficiency, etc. So many skills that can be applied to real life living and survival as they go out into the world in their adult lives. I have a high respect for the Japanese culture.

What shocks me the most was that after lunch the kids all sat at their desks and brushed their teeth together as a group, along with the teacher me watching them: 👁👄👁

That's the cleanest school I've ever seen

親に好き嫌いがあったりすると、家庭ではなかなか出ない料理ってのが生まれる(私の父がトマト嫌いだから家でハヤシライスやトマトスープが出なかった)ので、給食は食の経験を広げるって意味でとても良いというのは深く同意します。

The elementary school where my son went distributed the month’s menu in advance, along with the list of all ingredients. In this way, the parents are assured of nutritional balance and can alert the school if the child has an allergy to particular ingredients (in which case, an adjusted menu will be provided to the kid). It is also an attempt to teach the kids the joy of tasting variety of foods. When the whole class eats the same thing, the kids will try vegetables, mushrooms, mildly spicy food or whatever they would not have at home. With the menu distributed, the parents know what the kids had and bring it up in conversation at home, knowing what they can now eat that they did not before. His school also had a couple of international dish days, Korean food, Indian food, etc.

I’m Japanese, actually I didn’t notice our school lunch was luxurious. Because these were my daily life but now I think this school lunch and system would really helpful for covering enough nutrition, also collaboration with my peers and appreciation with food and someone who cook for us. Now I’m living Canada and I realize difference between Japan and other countries clearly, when I was in Japan I couldn’t figure out good points of Japan but there are lots of things just I can’t see. I love my country 😍 ( Canada too!)

Being a father myself I almost cried watching this. The level at which the community and government cares for the children's nutritional well being is nothing short of amazing. This should be implemented the world around! Thank you to all those involved in this production!!

I really appreciate the way children are given responsibility of preparing and serving of school lunch. Well behaved children. 👏

They brush they teeth after lunch wow just wow on everything this video showed👏🏻

Watching this made me smile. Went on vacation last year at Japan and I experienced first-hand how these kids are being raised well by their parents and their school. My train card fell on the ground while I wait at the station and a nice kid immediately went back to pick it up before I did, bowed to me and ran back to his friends. That small gesture made me happy and he's gone before I can translate thank you into japanese. And I can see that older children are taking care of the younger ones as they ride the train back home by themselves. A nice example for other cultures.

all your videos is very high quality. National geographic should hire you

Japan is a very great country. Their rules, manner should be followed by all countries and countrymen. Long live Japan ❤

When I was a teacher in Japan, I would eat lunch with the kids everyday. The food was nutritious and very tasty...

Japan doesn't do it well, they do the best. The knowledge these kids are learning about food and respect for one another is beautiful!

If the US was like this, being a teacher would be my dream job

the level of discipline Japanese kids have is admirable. I truly wish kids in other countries would follow suit but it starts with the parents. really impressive.

Immense respect for the Japanese Culture. They have modernized but yet kept their values and traditions.

I love how the food just goes straight from local farmers to the schools, and meals are planned by an accredited nutritionist who works at the school. There's no big greedy companies trying to act as the middleman to amplify their own profits, change national laws on nutrition, and indoctrinate kids into a culture of fast food consumerism like here in the U.S.

In America the lunch ladies and men microwave frozen chick nuggets

I am amazed that the Japanese put so much emphasis on preparing lunch for the student and teaching staff. Having the children work in the school garden and older children work on local farms to harvest the food they will eat. The effort and resources needed accomplish this is eye opening.

I grew up in Japan and I ate these lunches everyday in elementary school! The one thing I disliked about it was that the only beverage they served you was milk, and honestly milk and rice do not go well together. But the other kids in my class didn’t seem to mind, seeing that there were always quite a few people that wanted second cartons of milk (only happens when someone is absent). Kids would have heated battles of Rock Paper Scissors over second helpings, especially over dessert.

In USA, students will sue you for asking them to clean the classroom.

I'm just curious how the Japanese who were born and raised in Japan feel when they travel outside Japan. They are so systematic and organized unlike other countries where life is rather chaotic I must say.

たしかにこの小学校の給食はちょっと品数が少ないかもしれない、、それでも工夫して作ってくれてるからありがたいね 都会では無い普通の公立小学校に通っていたけどとても美味しい給食でした

日本人です。 この当たり前の光景に、世界の人が驚いてる事に感謝しています。 僕の時代では3ヶ月くらいに一度、世界の料理が出てました。 その時初めて食べたメキシコ料理のタコスが美味し過ぎて驚きました🌮🌮🌮 だから、行った事は無いけど今でもメキシコが大好きです😂

The cost of these meals is $261 yen per kid. Thats about $2.30 in American dollars. Thats pretty amazing.

Imagine kids serving lunch and cleaning the schools in the USA, all the parents will freak out.

In Japan, most elementary schools and junior high schools have kyushoku, and in high school, kids bring mom's lunch box from home every day. Each local government decides on menus and badget for evey kyushoku,they hand out the kyushoku menu at the beginning of evey month, so that moms know what their children eat for the lunch and can think about the dinner（try to cook with different ingredients） for each day. Well I'm one of the moms who cook bento for her son every day, I usually get up 20-30min. earlier to make bento, try to avoid frozen food and cook healthy meals. Most moms do that, we even prepare the night before. That is because we strongly believe in the concept that "what we eat makes our body and mind." 〜Further knowledge from Japanese mom in her 40's who also grew up with kyushoku

I’m so glad that you have a good images about “kyusyoku”💓 I am a high school student in Japan. I ate “kyusyoku “ every day in junior high and elementary school. Most Japanese high schools don’t serve “kyusyoku” and we have to bring or buy lunch every day. My mom’s lunch is so good but I want to eat it again🥺🥺

I made friends with a girl from Japan in HS, it was her 1st time at an American School and was exited about lunch....boy, the level of disappoinment was colossal! She would bring her own bento to school every day after that 😅😬

"What's lunch like where you're from?" Screaming, loud talking, loud laughing, fights, and staff not caring. Great.

I wish all school lunches were like this. It looks so good and it’s something I would happily eat. And credit to the cafeteria workers as well, they did an awesome job

In Japan, there is a curriculum called Dotoku, 道徳 moral. Children learn values, build character, and empathy. Also, kyushoku and other daily routine helps children learn routine, responsibility, discipline, teamwork, leadership, caring, and gratitude. Healthy habits and life skills are must as they move up to preadolescent and adolescent.

Is nobody gonna talk about the nutritionist? She's like the nicest person ever

This is why the Japanese population is so much more healthy than the rest if the world. They introduce healthy food early and children gain knowledge and respect for the ingredients used, through hands on teaching methods. Which is one of the best ways to teach a child.

私の地元では年に一度バイキング給食があってそれがとても楽しみでした。主食、主菜、副菜、汁物、飲み物、デザート、それぞれ数種類ずつ提供されるのですが、事前にどんなメニューが出るのか、どんな食材が使われていて、どのような栄養素を摂取できるのか。好きなものばかり取らず、満遍なく色々なものを取りましょうね、という指導をされます。 今は同じ学校に子供達が通っていますが、一食当たり270円くらいだったかと思います。 子供達も毎日の給食を楽しみにしています。 給食だよりというプリントも毎月配られ、子供達がどんなものを食べているのか知ることもできるし、給食の人気メニューのレシピが載っている時もあり、参考になります。

It's been 6 years since this was filmed, but I just watched it and it's a very impressive film, and the Umejima Elementary School is magnificent, from the staff, kids, principal, dietitian, food, and school itself. I would never have imagined it to be a school in a more modest area of town.

In Japan, being a teacher is one of the top paying jobs. This explains why schools are so disciplined, and teachers are passionate. Not many countries can afford this, and those who could, chose not to do so, hence, the disparity in education quality.

I’m Japanese and am really proud of this school system

Absolutely incredible. I wish we had had school lunches like this when I was a kid. Great video. Thank you.