1 item forgotten in that list: fresh, tasty ingredients.
Japanese produce and meats are just fussed over to such a degree for which an American consumer has no frame of reference.
The fruit and veg tend to be larger, less bruised / browned, and overall of better taste. As ingredients this makes for better food. Perhaps less commercialized farming? IDK.
They do spend a larger portion of their household income on groceries, so this is part of the answer.
Edit: By "larger" I don't mean serving size, I mean natural size of the fruit and veg. I lived in Japan for 15+ years. The produce there compared to the produce in my US Trader Joe's, was larger. And tastier. I don't know how they did it, because I too would have assumed that larger meant less tasty. Coming back to the US and seeing scrawny fruit was a shock. I wonder if the US producers are sending their largest / best overseas? Or perhaps TJ's and Fred Meyer is buying B class produce?
Japanese produce and meats are just fussed over to such a degree for which an American consumer has no frame of reference.
The fruit and veg tend to be larger, less bruised / browned, and overall of better taste. As ingredients this makes for better food. Perhaps less commercialized farming? IDK.
They do spend a larger portion of their household income on groceries, so this is part of the answer.
Edit: By "larger" I don't mean serving size, I mean natural size of the fruit and veg. I lived in Japan for 15+ years. The produce there compared to the produce in my US Trader Joe's, was larger. And tastier. I don't know how they did it, because I too would have assumed that larger meant less tasty. Coming back to the US and seeing scrawny fruit was a shock. I wonder if the US producers are sending their largest / best overseas? Or perhaps TJ's and Fred Meyer is buying B class produce?