Japanese Cultural Facts

A traditional Japanese diet consists mainly of fish, rice, and vegetables. Though it is not very diverse, this diet is still very healthy; fish contains protein, vitamins from both fish and vegetables, iron from vegetables, and carbohydrates from the rice. These foods remain common in Japanese eating habits, but the diets are much wider in variety. In 538 C.E. the Buddhist religion was introduced into Japan. The laws of Buddhism forbid killing animals. Because of these laws the Japanese people ate no meat for over one thousand years. This lack of meat is still apparent in today's world, when the Japanese consume about twice as much fish as meat.