• Progress
  ──Kou from Osaka is currently based in Kanto. Have you ever been in Yokohama?
• Mr. Tetsu Koken (hereinafter "Ko")
  I live in Tokyo, but Yokohama has good access and I often come to play with my family. My family loves Yokohama Zoo ZOORASIA and has an annual pass!
• Mayor Yamanaka (hereinafter "Mayor")
  That's nice!
• Ko
  Actually, it was a restaurant in Yokohama that proposed to my wife, so it was a memorable place.
• Mayor
  It's a wonderful story. Yokohama has a beautiful waterfront, and it is attractive that elements such as exoticism and richness of nature are best mixed.

• Progress
  ──I had Mr. Ko sampled a junior high school lunch in Yokohama earlier. Thank you very much for your feedback.
• Ko
  First of all, it was impressive that the colors and arrangements of school lunch were refined. It's important to look good. Above all, the nutritional balance is wonderful.
• Mayor
  I eat school lunch every day for lunch and I'm always looking forward to what the menu is today. Until now, there was no school lunch at a junior high school in Yokohama, so everyone had lunch boxesschool lunch since 2026. Currently, we are making efforts to make school lunch available in stages, and now less than 40% of the students choose school lunch.
• Ko
  It's increasing, isn't it?

• Mayor
  Once you eat it, many students and parents say, "school lunch is delicious." Yokohama has rich local ingredients such as delicious vegetables and meat, so I hope school lunch will be able to learn about local production for local consumption. In addition, there are menus related to the seasons and events, as well as international menus such as African cuisine.
• Ko
  It's very good to learn from food about the splendor of local ingredients, seasonal events, and the concept of global things.

• Progress
  ──There is a menu of school lunch at hand. How about taking a look?
• Ko
  First of all, it is surprising that school lunch has such a variety of menus.
• Mayor
  How was the taste?
• Ko
  It was delicious!
• Mayor
  I'm glad! I'm glad to hear that.
• Ko
  The important thing is the amount of salt. Since this is directly linked to the taste, the higher the salt content, the easier it is for humans to feel the umami. However, school lunch naturally has strict standards, which must be tasty and look good, and should be a content that children can eat well.
• Mayor
  If you add various seasonings, it seems that the taste will become deeper and delicious, but considering the nutritional balance, that is not the case.
• Ko
  That's the most difficult part. I was able to imagine that the menu was developed through very trial and error.

• Progress
  ──Mr. Kou wrote in his book, "Isn't it okay to leave food education to the government to some extent?"
• Ko
  That's right. I think it's hard for busy parents to do all food education at home, both in time and mentally. If the government is working hard like Yokohama City, I guess it's okay to leave it to you.
• Mayor
  Yokohama City is focusing on creating a good school lunch, so I would be glad if parents could think so. At the same time, it is also important to increase the time for parents. During child care, especially in the morning, I don't have enough time anyway, so I think it's hard to make not only breakfast but also lunch at home. From that point of view, I think the existence of school lunch is important.
• Ko
  I wake up at 5 o'clock every morning for my junior high school son to make a lunch box, but it's so hard that I need to prepare my heart from the night before. Considering the lunch menu, you can go shopping and store it in the refrigerator, so you can use time and energy for other things, and you will be able to create time and mind.

• Progress
  ──It's the real pleasure of school lunch to meet the desk together and have fun together.
• Ko
  Your children will be excited about the topic of school lunch. They talked with friends, "What kind of menu will it be tomorrow?" And told their family, "I ate such a school lunch today!" school lunch gives children a lot of nutrition in many ways.
• Mayor
  Eating time with everyone is probably the best way to get rid of likes and dislikes.

• Ko
  I think that's right. The nutrition is left to experts, and the most important thing is that it was fun today. Isn't this the best food education?

• Progress
  ──Since 2020, Yokohama City has been holding a junior high school school lunch menu contest designed by students.
• Mayor
  Last year, 4,121 students from Municipal Junior High School participated. If you win the Excellence Award, you can actually get the school lunch menu.
• Ko
  Is that right?
• Mayor
  For example, students who are exercising can think of a menu that can incorporate plenty of protein, or a menu where they can eat blue fish rich in DHA so that they can study. I will be impressed.
• Ko
  When I cook with my 5-year-old daughter, I'm surprised because ideas that adults don't have come out. And if your idea might be adopted by school lunch, it will be rewarding.
• Mayor
  That's right. The students are those who eat school lunch, but I want them to be fun. I hope that more students will continue to participate in the future.
• Ko
  It's a great effort.

• Progress
  ──Please tell us what you feel is difficult to raise children for Ko, who has three children.
• Ko
  Parenting is that there are things that don't seem like in life (laughs). I can't have my own time at all, and it's like a roller coaster. I think it is very important to have an environment where you can support child care in various aspects.
• Mayor
  I really sympathize with Mr. Kou's story. In order to respond to such voices, Yokohama City places child care as the most important issue. For example, as one of our new initiatives, we made medical expenses free for all junior high school students from August this year.
• Ko
  It's a great thing for parents.
• Mayor
  We are also focusing on enhancing our temporary custody business. You can leave it for any reason, not only for work, but also for urgent business or when you want to refresh. When you say, "I want you to see your child for a short time," you have a hard time finding a deposit destination.
• Ko
  I'm glad that the mayor can understand the difficulties of raising children.
• Mayor
  And since the administrative procedures are complicated anyway, we will be able to complete the procedures related to child care with a smartphone app so that you do not have to come to the government office during busy child care. We will continue to do our best to realize that "Yokohama is easy to raise children" and that you want to live and continue living in Yokohama.
• Ko
  I'm really looking forward to seeing my favorite Yokohama become an even more attractive and wonderful city.
• Mayor
  Thank you very much. Please come to Yokohama in the future!

Tetsu Koken

Born in Osaka Prefecture. He proposes easy and delicious home cooking that makes use of seasonal ingredients, and is active in various fields such as television, magazines, and lectures. Travel in more than 30 countries to learn home cooking from around the world. Based on the experience of the three children as fathers, he is also focusing on food education for parents and children, participation in housework and childcare for men, and activities to expand communication through food. YouTube "Koh Kentetsu Kitchen" is a popular channel with more than 1.7 million registered users.

Yokohama-shi junior high school lunch site (outside site)