
What Is Onigiri? The Essential Guide to Japan’s Beloved Rice Balls
Onigiri (rice balls) are a traditional Japanese rice dish made by shaping warm white rice by hand, tucking a filling like umeboshi (salt-pickled plum), salmon, or kombu (kelp) into the center, and wrapping with nori (seaweed). Widely regarded as a portable food that began in the Yayoi period roughly 2,000 years ago, onigiri remain essential to daily life in Japan…