EATING IN JAPAN NICK POWERS (KAGAWA), VICTORIA CLARK (KAGOSHIMA) Before you arrive If you have any food concerns, mention them to your supervisor before you arrive, so they can make sure you’re provided for. It’ll only confuse the staff if you tolerate something you can’t eat, then suddenly decide to stop eating it a few months later. Alternative diet resources VegJET is the go-to group for vegetarian or vegan lifestyles in Japan. You’ll find shared recipes, restaurant recommendations, dietary advice, and a slew of food porn. Anyone can join the page, even if you aren’t vegan or vegetarian, and you can post whatever, whenever, as long as it’s relevant. Also look for the Hokkaido AJETpublished book on living vegan/vegetarian in Japan, called Veg Out: The Vegan and Vegetarian Survival Guide for Japan. You can find it at hajet.org.
Gluten-free JET is the group for living gluten-free in Japan. Celiac and gluten intolerance are a little ways behind veganism and vegetarianism. Fortunately, various types of rice flours can be found at your local supermarkets, as rice flour is the basis of many traditional Japanese sweets. Rice flour is good for gluten-free baking, but you may have to search online for the recipes, as finding gluten-free cookbooks in Japanese bookstores isn’t easy. Kyushoku: school lunch Your school lunch situation— like everything else on JET—will depend on your placement. Eating kyushoku with your students is a good way to bond. The students bring all the food to their homeroom and serve it themselves, and they’re generally more relaxed than in class. Beware that school lunch is intended for growing
teenagers, so it may be more calories than you’re used to. You can have your lunch altered if it’s too much, and at some schools (not all), you can trade food with the students. Expect to pay ¥200-300 per meal. Your teachers may ask you early on if you want to eat kyushoku or opt out. If you can’t eat kyushoku for whatever reason, make sure your supervisor or teachers know your reasons when you arrive. Be honest and clear. In most cases, if you bring your own food, you have to eat with the teachers in the staff room. Special occasions (graduation, sports day, culture festival, and so on) have special lunches, purchased by the teachers or prepared by the PTA. Ask your teachers if it’s possible to prepare or order a special lunch for you if you can’t eat what everyone
Photo - Vicki Clark
JULY 2014
AFTER TOKYO
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