Introducing...onigiri (rice balls)

After being in Japan 3 months I thought it was time that I paid tribute to the tastiest and most convenient snack around town. To the untrained eye a rice ball is (you guessed it) a ball of rice. But to those us of who have tasted this sticky goodness it is so much more. To me, the rice ball is a way of life.

3 Reasons Why the Rice Ball is Awesome:

1. Convenience. The rice ball is made of glutenous rice pressed together tightly with salt and various seasonings. The rice is wrapped in dried nori (seaweed) which acts as a shield of armor protecting the rice from harmful elements (wind, rain, clumsy hands etc.) If wrapped correctly the rice ball will hold itself together despite all odds leaving you free to eat with one hand and ride your bike with the other (although I do not recommend this without a helmet and/or knee pads).

This rice ball was wrapped incorrectly by yours truly. 

2. Price. Another awesome thing about the rice ball is the price. Rice is one of the few inexpensive products you can buy in any Japanese supermarket so if you make these sticky treats yourself then rice balls are super cheap. However if you are domestically challenged like I am, then you can pick up rice balls at any convenient store, supermarket, or abandoned bento lunch box you can find for about 120 yen (about $1.20). Who says Japan has to be expensive? (I have recently decided to substitute all my meals for rice balls).

3.The element of surprise. One of the greatest things about the rice ball is the tasty surprise that lies below. Remember when you were a kid and you used to beg your mom to buy a box of cereal simply for the promise of a prize inside? The rice ball is like my Japanese version of Frosted Flakes (more or less). Many rice balls are filled with mouthwatering treats like salmon, beef, or pickled plum. For most rice ball consumers, eating one of these is not nearly as suspenseful as I make it out to be (the package clearly states what lies under those sticky white grains). However I am an illiterate gaijin so every time I bite into a rice ball I feel like I just walked in on my own surprise party.

salmon woohoo!