Japan is home to a rich tapestry of regional food cultures, each with its own distinctive flavor and story.
Here we shine a spotlight on two everyday favorites—onigiri rice balls and bread—and introduce some unique local versions along with their fascinating backstories.
This rice ball is coated with tororo kombu, a type of shaved kelp. In Toyama, this is a common alternative to seaweed-wrapped onigiri. Interestingly, kelp is hardly harvested in Toyama, but the region has long-standing ties to kelp through historical trade via Kitamae-bune cargo ships and, more recently, through northern-sea fisheries. Kelp has become deeply rooted in the local food culture.
Known for their additive-free tororo kombu onigiri.
Access:Inside the Dentetsu-Toyama Sta. concourse
Open Fridays to Mondays and national holidays, 5:00–7:00 AM (or until sold out), from April to October. Closed during rainy season.
https://www.raichou-kitchen.com/
A specialty shop offering handmade rice balls, including a variety of classic fillings like salmon and pickled plum, as well as unique regional versions representing all 47 prefectures of Japan.
Tokyo Sta. (Gransta Tokyo) and three other locations in Tokyo
https://momochi.co.jp/
©百千
Tenmusu is a small onigiri stuffed with shrimp tempura. Although it’s now a famous Nagoya specialty, it actually originated in Tsu City, Mie Prefecture. It is said that the busy owner of a tempura shop created it for her husband’s lunch.
The original tenmusu shop.
Access:JR Tsu Sta. → 10 min by bus
https://www.gansotenmusu.com/index.html
This sweet sandwich is made by spreading margarine on white bread and sprinkling it with granulated sugar to give it a satisfying crunch. Inspired by a local custom in the Ominato area, Mutsu City, where buttered toast is eaten with sugar, this treat uses “English bread” (Igirisupan)—a tall, fluffy loaf—hence the name “Igirisu Toast.”
Available at supermarkets, convenience stores, and drugstores throughout Aomori Prefecture.
This creative bread features a whole daifuku (a soft rice cake filled with sweet red bean paste) baked inside a brioche bun. It was first created by the owner of Europain Kimuraya, a bakery founded in 1927. Wanting to surprise a daifuku-loving friend in Paris, he cleverly hid one inside a bun to take along on his travels. This nostalgic Daifuku Anpan embodies the wish to bring “great happiness” (daifuku = “big fortune”) to mother, friend, and hometown.
Access:Nishi-Sabae Sta. (Fukutetsu) → 10 min walk / JR Sabae Sta. → 15 min walkhttp://www.e-kimuraya.com/daifuku.html
A rice ball wrapped in sweet and savory soy-glazed pork. It was originally a staff meal at a local izakaya pub, but when regular customers got a taste, it became so popular that they turned it into a menu item. Now it’s not only a beloved specialty of Miyazaki, but has also inspired variations all across Japan.
This onigiri layers rice and nori seaweed with a slice of luncheon meat and a fluffy omelet. After WWII, Okinawan households created this simple yet filling dish during food shortages. Today, it’s evolved into a local favorite, often jazzed up with creative toppings.
This specialty shop offers made-to-order pork tamago onigiri with fun toppings like pickled plum paste or spicy cod roe mayo. Originally from Okinawa, it now has 13 locations including Tokyo and Osaka.
https://porktamago.com/
A hot dog-style bun stuffed with a whole chikuwa (fish cake) filled with tuna salad. It was created by the popular Sapporo bakery Donguri, based on the idea that common lunchbox ingredients could also work well in bread. After trying fillings like cucumber and cheese, tuna salad won out!
With 12 locations mainly based in Sapporo.
https://www.donguri-bake.co.jp/shop/
A soft bun filled with chopped takuan (pickled daikon radish) mixed with mayonnaise. Originally made with cabbage, it was swapped for takuan because the latter keeps longer. Loved by locals for over 60 years, this unusual combo has stood the test of time.
Available at many supermarkets, mainly in Shiga.
https://www.tsuruyapan.jp/
A sweet bun covered with fluffy castella sponge cake. It got its name –“boushi” means hat in Japanese – because it looks like a little hat! The shape was actually an accident during melon pan production, when a baker forgot to add cookie dough topping and used castella batter instead. Customers started calling it “Boushi Pan” because of its unique shape.
Access:JR Kochi Sta. → 15 min walk
