For postwar generations of Japanese who grew up eating school lunches in their classrooms at public elementary and junior high schools, the scene in the village of Tomari, Tottori Prefecture, may come as a surprise.
Today, the 188 children who attend Tomari Elementary School eat their meals in a lunchroom adjacent to the school building situated atop a low hill in the village.
The lunchroom is pleasantly decorated with a Japanese cypress motif, and boasts a commanding view of gentle mountain ranges and the Japan Sea through the windows lining the walls.
Tomari is just one of the many public schools making changes in their meal programs.