There are a lot of great things you can say about onigiri (rice balls). They’re tasty, convenient, and compared to a lot of other grab-and-go foods, pretty healthy too.
But if you’re looking for one more reason to love onigiri, there’s a great one on the way with the opening of a new shop in Tokyo where the onigiri will have all the qualities we mentioned above, and also be absolutely adorable.
Set to open in the Shibuya Miyashita Park complex, just a short stroll north from Shibuya Station in downtown Tokyo, is Norionigiriya-san. “Norionigiriya” would ordinarily mean “shop that sells norionigiri,” or rice balls with a seaweed wrapping, but in this case it can also be taken to mean “Norionigiri Shop,” referring to the name of the anthropomorphized rice ball from popular character merch line Nandemo Ikimono.
▼ Nandemo Ikimono translates roughly to “everything is alive.” It’s kind of an odd name, considering that aside from Norionigiri and Kojima (an island), the rest of the core cast are just basic animals, but it’s hard to grumble about it when they all look so cute.
Usually rice balls can be purchased individually in Japan, but Norionigiriya-san sells theirs in sets of two. You pick one onigiri from group A (plain, bonito flake, plum, tuna with mayo, or soft-boiled egg) and one from group B (salmon, grilled cod roe, tempura shrimp, pork with egg, or salmon roe).
▼ Instead of being fillings, the extra ingredients appear to be placed more like toppings.
Two onigiri are priced at 990 yen, with a discount of 50 yen if you choose the plain onigiri from group A and a surcharge of 50 yen for group B’s salmon roe, so the total price range is from 940 to 1,040 yen.
Now, we should acknowledge the adorable gorilla in the room: These are some expensive onigiri. Even with the rampant inflation that’s been going on in Japan, it’s not hard to find convenience store onigiri for about 200 yen. However, the visuals here a big part of the appeal, and aside from taking extra time and effort to make than regular onigiri, Norionigiriya-san’s onigiri are clearly meant to be purchased as a special treat, not something to absently cram into your mouth to fill your belly ASAP. The shop is confident that the price won’t scare away fans of Nandemo Ikimono or cuteness in general, either, as there’s a limit of three onigiri sets (i.e. six rice balls) per customer.
In addition to rice balls, the shop will also be offering a selection of exclusive merch, such as pins, key holders, clear files, pouches, T-shirts, and tote bags.
Norionigiriya-san opens on January 18.
Location information
Nademo Ikimono Norionigiriya-san / なんでもいきもの「のりおにぎり屋さん」
Address:Shibuya-ku, Jingumae 6-20-10, Miyashita Park 2nd floor
東京都 渋谷区 神宮前 6-20-10 MIYASHITA PARK ２F
Open 11 a.m.-9 p.m.
Source, images: PR Times
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