If I had to give the biggest difference between the respective lunch breaks of Japan and Italy, it would have to be the time. Nearly all Japanese businesses, regardless of job type, adhere to a one hour lunch break, which ends right on time after eating. During lunchtime, coffee shops and restaurants are busy with customers, who are equally busy shoveling down their lunches.
In contrast, lunch breaks in European countries are a more easygoing affair, perhaps due to the influence of Spain's "siesta", a nap taken during lunch break. That said, the people in Italy who actually take a post-lunch nap nowadays are likely only retired older persons and young children.
Florence is known as one of the world's great cities of art, yet - and this is something I think most people who have been to Italy know - the town's central district is in fact closed for at least two and a half hours during lunchtime. Even taking into account the time it takes restaurants to prepare for dinner, it is notable that they remain closed some four to five hours after lunch. Owing to the long lunch breaks, even if you wish to shop in fashion-epicenter Italy, or sample the local spaghetti or pizza, you can't necessarily just do it on your own schedule. This is something that is unheard of in "customer first" Japan.
As for the lunch breaks of office workers at businesses and banks, the time averages from one and half to two hours. That's still a leisurely break when compared to that of a Japanese business.
And what are Italians eating during that long lunch? Often, it is panini, pasta, risotto, or some other Italian mainstay, eaten at one of the many bars located in a given city. There is not as much menu variety as restaurants in Japan might have, but it satisfies Italians, who love their country's food. This time of year, bars place tables and chairs outside, and these outdoor seats fill with diners. Since a light tan is considered beautiful in Italy, there are many who eat outside and soak up the sun. This contrasts somewhat with lunch in Japan, where the climate is humid and light skin is the ideal of beauty.
