Japan is home to many traditional and cultural dishes that are both healthy and delicious. Before traveling to Japan, I researched a lot of Japanese foods in order to make a plan for what I would be able to afford and cook myself. Japan’s culinary world is very different from the one I had grown up in. My family farm had lots of fruits, vegetables and meats. In Japan, fish and chicken are the most common and inexpensive meats while beef and pork can cost two to three times as much! Most fruits in Japan are specially grown to be larger and sweeter, making them highly sought after, but also very expensive. A single apple can cost three to five U.S. dollars! Watermelons are a coveted fruit in the summer, and a single, volleyball-sized melon can cost 25 to 30 U.S. dollars.
Japan is known for many great foods and for how nutritious even the fast foods and store-bought lunches are. Sushi and bento are some of Japan’s most traditional foods. Sushi is eaten on a regular basis in Japan, with conveyor-belt sushi shops and sushi lunches at convenience stores providing it all at a very affordable price. Bento boxes are a popular form of lunches for school children, usually made by their mother or bought at a convenience store.
Unlike America, Japanese convenience stores sell fresh and healthy snacks and foods. In larger cities around lunchtime, convenience stores are crowded with office workers in suits coming to buy lunch.
