Reasonably priced and perfect for those who enjoy their snacks comically large.
One day, while out in downtown Osaka’s trendy and stylish Lucua shopping center, our reporter Masami stumbled across a startling discovering. Sitting on the corner of a shelf at Tsukiji Shokudo Gen-chan was a tightly wrapped bundle of joy for a lover of Japanese rice balls, or onigiri, as they’re called in Japanese.
A typical onigiri would probably weigh in at about 100 to 200 grams (3.5 to 7 ounces) and serve as a satisfying snack or side dish. What Gen-chan was offering, however, was a whopping one-kilogram (2.2 pound) single rice ball.
▼ Those other rice balls on the left are also about twice the size of regular ones.
Pound-for-pound, 600 yen (US$5.50) seemed like a good price considering regular onigiri that’re about a sixth of the size usually cost around 120 yen ($1.10). In the end Masami would be saving about a hundred yen…for a rice ball the size of her head.
▼ “Super-Eye-Popping! Gen-chan Signature Jumbo Onigiri”
However, that all depended on what was lurking inside this behemoth, and the only way to find that out was to order it.
Masami walked to the counter and after making her request, the clerk said, “Wow! This is the first time I’ve seen someone order one of these! I only recently started working here, but still…”
Masami took her pile of rice and fillings home, safe in the knowledge that she could use it to fend off any bandits she encountered during her trip if need be. Once back, she plunked it down and considered how to go about eating it.
With no angle of the rice ball small enough to fit in her mouth, she decided to cut it up, starting straight down the middle.
The insides were surprisingly well stuffed with three different popular fillings. Her initial cut struck a rich vein of tasty konbu (kelp).
In other locations were deep pockets of salmon, and dried ume.
The fillings came in generous portions, even more than she expected. It was good to see that Genchan didn’t sacrifice any quality for the sake of quantity in this case. The rice was soft and all the ingredients were fresh tasting throughout.
Unsurprisingly, it was all too much for her to finish in one sitting, but she managed after two attempts.
It might be good for parties, both as a conversation piece and refreshment. It could also serve cosplayers well to add a touch of realism to their portrayal of big-eating anime characters such as Luffy or Goku.
However, in western Japan this looks like the only shop you’ll be able to find one (the east already has it covered). So, remember the name Tsukiji Shokudo Gen-chan…or better yet, write it down because that’s a pretty long name to remember.
Shop information
Tsukiji Shokudo Gen-chan Lucua Osaka Store / 築地食堂源ちゃん ルクア大阪店
Osaka-fu, Osaka-shi, Kita-ku, Umeda 3-1-3
大阪府大阪市北区梅田3-1-3
Hours: 10 a.m. – 11 p.m. (Last order at 10 p.m.)
Photos: SoraNews24
[ Read in Japanese ]