As a people, they love trying new foods and, if they like them, will incorporate them into their diets. Fast food is a case in point. Just as Kikkoman is a well-known brand name for soy sauce in the U.S., Del Monte Ketchup is a household name here. Japan has brought in food from all over the world. There is really no such thing as the typical Japanese meal.
Dinner is the main meal of the day.
Bread or noodles are often eaten at breakfast and lunch, but most families have rice for dinner. More grains and fish are eaten than in Western countries, and meat and dairy foods are eaten with less frequency. Nutritionists say that the Japanese diet, while too rich in salt and too low in calcium, is otherwise an ideal diet in terms of health. It is customary in Japan for housewives to go grocery shopping daily, buying only what is needed for a single day. The preference for daily shopping and for fresh ingredients means there is less demand for frozen and microwave food products in Japan than in Europe and North America.