What’s something you look forward to when you go into the office? For me, while I enjoyed seeing my colleagues I got along with, what I looked forward to the most was lunchtime. It’s always exciting when I’ve packed my favorite dishes in my bento box, or when I go to a restaurant near the office. This time, I’d like to talk about lunchtime in Japanese workplaces.
Bento Box
Bringing a ‘bento’ to work was often my go-to, though it depends on the person. First and foremost, it’s a great way to save money. Plus, it helps prevent overeating and allows you to include healthy ingredients. Often, I’d just make extra dinner the night before and pack the leftovers for lunch, so it wasn’t too much effort. Also, Japanese supermarkets have a fantastic selection of frozen foods perfect for bento boxes, which I used frequently.
Sometimes, I’d just make rice balls (‘onigiri’) and then buy soup from a convenience store to eat with them.
Most offices are equipped with a refrigerator, microwave, and kettle for employees to use. So, once I got to work in the morning, I’d put my bento in the fridge, and then heat it up in the microwave before eating, so there were no worries about hygiene. Using ice packs is also a good idea, especially in the summer.
Office Lunch Options: Cafeterias, Restaurants, and Convenience Stores
Depending on the office, some have a company cafeteria. You can buy lunch there at very reasonable prices. Prices vary by location, but at an office where I used to work, ramen, soba, and udon were around 300 yen, and set meals were about 500 yen. You could get a free large serving of rice, and add things like natto, boiled eggs, or salad for an extra 50 to 100 yen.
If the office is in a large building, there might be restaurants and convenience stores in the basement or elsewhere in the building. Restaurants often offer affordable lunch sets during lunchtime, usually around 1000 yen, where you can enjoy a set meal. They might also sell bento boxes. Prices depend on the restaurant, but you can generally find delicious bento for around 1000 yen. If you buy lunch at a convenience store, you can get things like soba, pasta, sandwiches, and bento boxes for around 500 to 1000 yen.
Makanai（賄い）
People working in the food service industry sometimes have ‘makanai’ as a benefit. ‘Makanai’ is a free meal that the restaurant makes for its employees. At a restaurant where I used to work part-time, the chef would make us ‘makanai’ bento boxes with leftover ingredients after work. I remember really looking forward to eating them the next day.
Also, at a casual dining restaurant where I worked part-time when I was a student, there was no ‘makanai,’ but they gave us discount coupons every month. We could even give the coupons to family and friends, so I would often give them to my friends when I wasn’t going to use them myself.
Enjoy lunchtime!
When you work full-time, you usually get about an hour for your lunch break. I liked to spend that time relaxing by myself at my desk or in the cafeteria, reading a book or checking social media. Sometimes, it was also fun to go out to a restaurant with colleagues I got along with.
What’s lunchtime like at your workplace? If you ever work in Japan, I definitely recommend enjoying the delicious lunches!
