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Top Japanese instant noodle maker steps up its rice ball game 【Taste test】

Apparently, instant noodles are clearly not instant enough for Nissin.

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Onigiri Bread from Japanese convenience store chain changes everything we know about rice balls

And that’s not all — there’s a curry bread rice cake coming too. 

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Seven new rice ball flavors, including some Nissin collabs, coming to Family Mart this spring

Some are even out now!

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7-Eleven’s new Ebiten tempura shrimp rice ball is premium in both taste AND cost

7-Eleven’s lastest onigiri creation is our reporter’s new favourite rice ball.

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The Big Bomb Onigiri Japanese rice ball helps us conquer mountain race but conquers us in the end

Our reporter completes a challenging race only to face a tougher challenge — a giant rice ball!

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Say hello to the Big Bomb Onigiri, a beast of a Japanese rice ball

Famous rice-producing region goes big with a huge offering to attract customers.

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Studio Ghibli introduces new character “My Neighbour Rice Ball” as part of ad campaign

The adorable new character appears in a charming story told over several new video clips.

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Rice balls, sushi and ramen: Japanese women share what they’d eat for their last meal

We all have our favorite foods, but have you ever thought about what you would choose to eat if you knew that would be your last meal? Would you want an exotic delicacy or would you rather have a familiar taste before you shuffle off this mortal coil?

A Japanese website recently polled a group of women to ask them what they would order for their last meal and we’ve got the results below the break.

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Survey ranks convenience store rice balls – salmon, sea-dwelling poultry & plants steal the show

Known to many in the English-speaking world simply as rice balls, onigiri are as much a part of daily life in Japan as sandwiches are in the West. Although they’re often eaten as snacks or included along with a handful of other items as a packed lunch, for many Japanese onigiri are the ultimate comfort food; something that, no matter which part of the country they find themselves in, they can easily make or pick up from a convenience store.

Of course, store-bought onigiri can never come close to those pressed into shape by someone who knows their way around a rice cooker, but they always hit the spot nevertheless, and hundreds of thousands of these little lumps of savoury goodness are eaten every single day. But what are Japan’s most loved convenience store rice balls? And do tastes vary from chain to chain? Well, according to a recent survey, there are three onigiri fillings that Japan is especially fond of.

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American rice ball restaurant takes liberties with classic Japanese snack

The humble onigiri rice ball is the traditional Japanese answer to the sub sandwich: it’s a no-frills, on-the-go snack that balances carbs and protein and doesn’t require utensils. And just like subs, onigiri come stuffed with a huge variety of fillings, from salmon flakes to meatballs, seaweed to shrimp tempura.

And, just as “healthy” American sub sandwich chain Subway is making huge headway in Japan recently, onigiri are apparently making the journey the opposite way to American shores… But something has definitely gotten lost in translation.

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  • May 2, 2012

The Super Rice Ball – get four flavors in one ball!

If you’ve lived in Japan, you know that we Japanese love our rice balls, or omusubi as they’re called in Japanese. At every convenience store in Japan, you can find rice balls in every flavor imaginable, from the standard grilled salmon flake omusubi  to more quirky flavors like tempura shrimp or bacon and cheese. But the variety can sometimes make it difficult to choose a flavor from all the options. Well now, you won’t have to settle for just one flavor. Read More