Here's what a typical Indian set lunch looks like in Japan.
So I was talking to a Japanese tennis-fan friend over on Instagram in the evening and we started discussing things about food. Curious, I asked him how popular Indian food is back in his country and what does a typical Japanese order when he/she goes to an Indian restaurant. My friend, Koki, said Indian food is EXTREMELY popular in Japan and its popularity has only been increasing every year. He said set lunches are a big hit in Japan as they are filling and cost less than 1000 Yen. They are a favourite of Japanese office workers popularly called 'salary men'. Apparently only when the Japanese eat out at dinner time do they order non-set menu items and spend more money on Indian food, which is understandable, as dinner is usually the best meal of the day and with family around it becomes special therefore obviously set menus won't make sense at all.
One very interesting thing Koki told me was that naan in Japan is ALWAYS triangular and is never cut into two pieces, like they do in India - one triangular piece and one half-moon piece. Also because the Japanese love naan so much, set lunches in Japan offer UNLIMITED naan, which is something one rarely gets to see in India unless one's eating at an unlimited buffet. Koki said Indian food becomes more popular during colder months in Japan and many Japanese eat Indian food more than twice a week, which is pretty awesome for Indian cuisine when you think about it.
So back to set lunch, a typical set lunch in Japan consists of a bowl of curry, a bowl of salad greens, UNLIMITED naan and a lassi or masala tea depending on summer or winter.