Okaa-san Itadakimasu [TRUSTED]

This practice is ingrained from early childhood. Japanese children are taught to say "Itadakimasu" before meals both at home and in school, making it a fundamental part of their socialization. One survey suggested that only about 7% of Japanese people do nothing before a meal, indicating the near-universal practice of this humble expression of thanks.

During the Meiji era and accelerating into post-WWII reconstruction, the Japanese government reformed the educational system. Moral education ( doutoku ) and food education ( shukuiku ) were implemented in elementary school lunchrooms. Children were taught to press their hands together and say itadakimasu in unison before eating their school-provided lunches. Okaa-san Itadakimasu