Leo para 3: Whether you like or hate the school lunches, Japanese schools have to appreciate the food that they get and have to finish every single piece of food left on the plate. Even the foods you dislike and this rule goes the same to all the teachers and principal. 

In the 22nd year of the Meiji era (aka 1889), the very first Japanese "kyushoku" (school lunch) was served up at an elementary school in Tsuruoka City, Yamagata Prefecture. Although the first menu was very simply prepared, it provided the growing children with an important source of nourishment that not all of them could receive at home. (L)

Fast-forward to 2015 – Japanese schoolchildren (and their teachers) continue to eat school lunches every day, as opposed to children in many other countries who bring their lunches from home. If you’re working in a Japanese school, you should already be familiar with the daily feeling of either excitement or disappointment when you see the lunch menu for the day. But just consider this – would you rather eat the types of lunches served today, or those that were served 100 years ago? (S)

Love ’em or hate ’em, school lunches at Japanese schools are here to stay. Everyone, including the teachers and even the principal, sit down to eat the same lunch every day. Children are encouraged to be thankful for the food and finish every last bite, including any foods that they’re not particularly fond of. (L)

The Gakko Kyushoku website has provided a concise history of the lunches, including pictures of sample meals from different time periods. The following pieces of information and images were taken from their website. (S)

The first school lunch in Japan was started by a Buddhist monk who oversaw a school in Tsuruoka City, Yamagata Prefecture. The idea to provide lunch at school came about when he noticed that many of the disadvantaged children weren’t coming to school with packed lunches from home. These first simple lunches consisted of "onigiri" (rice balls), grilled fish, and pickled vegetables called "tsukemono," as seen in the photo. (Yumi)

Word spread about the success of the monk’s school lunch program. Before long, schools around the country had embraced the idea and were beginning to offer lunches to their students as well. Rice mixed with meat and/or vegetables, fish, and varieties of miso soup became typical food items found on the menus. (M)

During these early years, schools usually served the food in porcelain bowls and other dishware, making it feel more like a home-cooked meal than a school-provided lunch. (M)

After the outbreak of WWII, school lunches were either cut or reduced in many parts of the country due to local wartime food shortages. (M)