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New rice balls serve up Italian onigiri in Japan

8 Comments
By grape Japan

Whether it's for a snack or a light meal, onigiri, or rice balls, are very much a go-to treat in Japan (once you figure out how to open them.) While you'll find a bunch of delicious varieties around the country, NewDays, a convenience store that you can often find within train stations, is quite fond of shaking things up with adventurous rice ball releases--like with some that turn famous bento into onigiri.

Their Miwaku Onigiri (Enchanted Rice Balls) definitely is a departure from traditional ingredients. The latest two entries will show you why, as they're Takoyaki Party and Italian food flavored.

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The first of the two new rice balls is the Takoyaki Party Onigiri. It takes a mix of ingredients used when hosting a takoyaki (grilled octopus dumpling) party at home and delivers it in rice ball form. That means the rice is soaked in takoyaki sauce, packed with red ginger and bonito flakes, then "topped" with takoyaki, shrimp, corn, kimchi cheese, and sausage.

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The second is about as far from typical onigiri as you can get, as it's the Enchanted Italian Onigiri, which is a rice ball supposed to pack authentic Italian flavor in a rice ball. It contains rich basil cheese rice with a heap of Parmesan cheese and is topped with salty cured ham, cheese, dried tomatoes, and olives.

Both rice balls will be available at NewDays and NewDays KIOSK stores throughout the Tokyo metropolitan area, Nagano area, and Niigata Station from July 26 to August 8.

Read more stories from grape Japan.

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-- Sailor Moon and Anna Sui collaboration goods can now be bought at a vending machine in Japan

-- Tokyo ramen shop puts cool new twist on ice cream ramen in collab with Coolish ice cream

© grape Japan

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.

8 Comments
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I don’t eat rice or anything with seaweed, I do miss good sausage and made my own Italian sausage gyoza the other day. Maybe I should market them here on JT?

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Get some instant rice and sweet milk or milk with sugar and cooked with your favorite fruit

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

The only onigiri I like is Tuna mayo.....

-4 ( +0 / -4 )

rather eat traditional onigiri

2 ( +3 / -1 )

I wouldn't pay those prices for an onigiri.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

I bought a rice dish,it was not palable to me ,I fed it to some stray cats,I like instant rice,even an idiot could not botch instant rice

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

I’d definitely eat that in a heartbeat!

2 ( +2 / -0 )

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