In Japan, students receive school lunches — kyūshoku — from elementary through junior high school. Everyone eats the same meal, served at the same time, in the same classroom. It’s part of the country’s compulsory education and continues until the end of junior high. From high school onward, students usually bring their own obento lunch boxes. Kyushoku=School Lunch The system began as a way to ensure that all children, regardless of family income, could eat a nutritious meal during the day. It also lightens the burden on parents, who no longer need to prepare daily lunches. With a small ...