Lunch time at Dai-Ichi Jr High School!

At Dai-Ichi, the students eat kyu-shoku (cue-show-ku), or, as we call it Stateside, school lunch.  However, it's a little bit different than what we're used to in American schools.

First off, there's normally no cafeteria in Japanese schools.  Oohira was an exception--but both Dai Ni and Dai Ichi students eat in their classrooms.  And so, the students serve lunch instead of cafeteria workers.  In this picture, you can see one of the boys wearing his lunch smock, helping to dish out lunch for his classmates.

The Dai Ichi Jr High students' lunches are not prepared at Dai Ichi Jr High.  The food is fixed at Dai Ichi's Elementary School and then trucked over to us.  Apparently that isn't too unusual... it happened at Oohira, too, I just didn't know it. (:

Every day, the chosen 'lunch detail' students rush down to a room at the end of the hall where they pick up this silver cart, which has all the dishes and food they need for their class on it.

Another interesting fact:  Some schools do not offer kyu-shoku, (Dai Ni didn't) and many of Numazu's schools are offering it for the first time this year.  Even more interesting is the fact that if a school decides to serve kyu-shoku, ALL of the students must get it--only for medical reasons can you refuse and bring your own lunch.  Weird, huh?  The students pay about 4,500 yen each month for lunch ( appx $45 USD).

Some of the girls, dishing out lunch to their classmates.  Breadsticks on the left, and some sort of soup on the right.  Every day we have either some sort of rice dish or some sort of bread (loaf slices, breadsticks, rolls, etc), a meat dish (usually fish), and some vegetable mix (of course, a 'Japanese vegetable mix').  Sometimes we get a mikan--a small 'Japanese' orange, or a sweet treat, like zelly (kind of like Jell-O) or yogurt or something.

Kyu-shoku line in the background, with a few loaded trays in the foreground.  The students push their desks together in small groups when they eat.  You can see their little bags that typically carry a box with chopsticks (or hashi -- ha-she), yes you bring your own.  Some students have travelling spoon and fork sets, too, for meals that call for them.  (The rest of us just struggle with our hashi...)  They also carry a toothbrush set and toothpaste in that cute little bag.  That's right!  And after lunch you can see them standing around the big sinks along the hallway walls, brushing away. (:  Teachers, too!

Okay!  Time to eat!  I have to go! (;

Let's get outta here, Angry Bison!