Will frozen bento onigiri be Japan’s next big convenience store food trend?【Taste test】

We try out three flavors to see if cramming an entire lunch into a rice ball is truly a genius idea or just another gimmick.

2024 was a good year for onigiri (rice balls), particularly among the convenience store line-ups, from an exquisite collaboration with a restaurant to a rice ball and instant noodle fusion. One trend really stuck with us: the bento onigiri, which does away with everything unnecessary and condenses the essence of a bento boxed lunch into a rice ball form, creating an intense deliciousness.

As we were wandering around a convenience store, reflecting on how satisfying the bento onigiri was, we spotted something in the frozen foods corner: frozen bento onigiri. Immediately, we were intrigued. Stocks of bento onigiri in convenience stores aren’t as numerous as regular onigiri, so to have access to a frozen version whenever you’re in the mood for one sounded like a fantastic idea.

Made by a company called Shinobu Foods, they have apparently been on sale since March 2024, so it’s a mystery as to how these have eluded us so far. Without a moment to waste, we scooped up all three flavors the store was selling.

Back home, the first one we opted for was the Nori Bento-style onigiri, priced at 290 yen (US$1.90). Since most onigiri are wrapped in nori (a type of seaweed) and nori bento features rice topped with nori, couldn’t you just call it a regular onigiri? However, nori bento often includes other ingredients, such as deep-fried white fish, deep-fried fish cake, and finely-chopped bonito, all of which make an appearance in this onigiri.

After heating the rice ball in the microwave for four minutes, we were ready to enjoy a scorching hot meal. It’s no wonder the package includes a warning that the onigiri will be “very hot” and that the microwaveable pocket is sealed with a sticker that reads “It’s hot, so be careful not to burn yourself!!” too.

The fillings were cut into smaller pieces than they would be in a bento, making them easier to eat. However, the rice was a bit dry and the nori a little soft.

The flavor wasn’t too bad, but doesn’t really hold its own next to an actual nori bento. With that being said, since this is a frozen food and not a freshly made lunch, we’ll give it some leeway.

Next up was the Japanese-style Tsukune Bowl Onigiri (291 yen). While tsukune (“chicken meatball”) onigiri are not particularly uncommon, the “bowl” aspect of its name is a little confusing, since there’s no bowl. Coming from Japan’s tasty donburi (“rice bowl”) dishes, where rice is paired with a variety of toppings and served in a bowl, it’s evidence that the makers have given special attention to how the tsukune complements the rice.

With another handheld pack of lava, fresh from the microwave, it was time to eat.

Picking it up, it held together surprisingly well, so we opened it up for a closer look. It seems like the filling was specifically designed to be crumble-resistant.

Structural integrity aside, the flavor of the onigiri was nothing mind-blowing, but still pretty good. The combination of kinpira lotus root, egg soboro, and soy sauce-seasoned rice, showcased a decent level of craftsmanship. Kinpira is a Japanese cooking style, where root vegetables are cooked in a sweet-savory sauce made from sugar, soy sauce, and mirin (a sweet Japanese cooking wine). Egg soboro, on the other hand, is finely scrambled eggs made by cooking them with sugar, soy sauce, and mirin, stirring constantly until they form little bits of egg. The flavors all meshed together to form a decent meal.

Finally, it was the turn of the Yakitori (grilled chicken) Bowl Onigiri (290 yen).

When compared to the tsukune onigiri, the sauce made this a lot more difficult to handle, and the meat was a little too big to hold comfortably.

After two instances of flavors that lacked the “wow” factor, we were surprised to discover, though, that the Yakitori Bowl Onigiri tastes really good. The chunks of chicken were elevated to delicious heights by the Japanese omelet that had soaked up a lot of the sauce.

The idea of packing a full bento into an onigiri is really exciting and, while these frozen treats feel like they still have room for improvement, they’re showing plenty of potential. Unlike most onigiri, which need to be eaten within a day, you can store these in preparation for whenever the hunger pangs strike you. That’s definitely a win in our books. We’re waiting with anticipation to see how these frozen bento onigiri will develop in the future and what flavors they will come out with next.

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