Things I didn't try early on: cooking!

It may sound strange, but I didn't cook in Japan my first years here. Except for the occasional cooking class that was organized by either the university I went to or the conglomerate I did my internship with. Thing is, I didn't really have a need to cook. 

My first years in Japan I went from a homestay to a company dormitory. In the homestay my homestay 'okaasan' did all the cooking. I did offer to help out, but thankfully she was one of those people who seemed to prefer preparing food on her own. In the dormitory there were facilities for me to cook, but I got my lunch and dinner provided to me on weekdays at the company where I was doing an internship. Good healthy meals. And on the weekends, I ate out. 

It was only when I moved to Mito City in Ibaraki in 2002 that there was more of a need for me to cook. But I rarely did, because I lived in a tiny apartment with just one ring for cooking! I got a hearty lunch at work, and I would get a bento or eat out for dinner, often with fellow company employees. It was only when I moved to Saitama in 2006, I started to cook, but my husband is the main cook in our house, so I still only do it a couple of times a week!

Do you cook often in Japan? Did you always?