Alternet (by Nevin Thompson):

As anyone who has ever attended or taught at a Japanese school can tell you, school lunch (kyuushoku) is the most important part of the day.

It provides not only nourishment, but also an opportunity to teachers and students to bond by eating together.

While the lunch is typically prepared by full-time staff in a large kitchen either in the school or at a central facility that serves the entire school district, it’s the students who are responsible for serving lunch for their classmates.

• Nevin Thompson is the Japan Editor for Global Voices. He is a translator, writer, and journalist, and has been connected to Japan for more than twenty years.