[Nara Prefecture] 8 Great Places for Delicious Onigiri (Rice Balls) by Area

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Omusubi Banshun is located about an 8-minute walk from the East Exit of Kintetsu Nara Station, inside Mochiidono Shotengai (Mochiidono Shopping Street). This is a specialty shop for onigiri (rice balls), made in triangular shapes with Nara-style rice dishes.

The storefront is open with no door. You order the onigiri you want, then choose whether to eat at the counter seats inside or get it as Takeout.

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The specialty here is Nara chahan (tea rice from Nara). It is a traditional dish of rice and soybeans cooked in hojicha (roasted green tea), once eaten by Buddhist monks at temples.

That Nara chahan is shaped into rice balls and is said to have a gentle flavor. There is also a type with Narazuke (traditional pickles from Nara) tucked inside.

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They offer a wide variety, with white rice or genmai (brown rice) and many different fillings. The "Shio Onigiri (salt rice ball)," made with just salt so you can taste the rice flavor straight on, is also popular.

If you eat in, miso soup comes free of charge. For Takeout, they pack the nori (seaweed) separately, so you can also enjoy its crisp texture.

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Ohana-san no Omusubi-ya-san is located in Higashijodocho in the Naramachi area, a part of Nara City known for its old townscape lined with traditional machiya (traditional townhouses).

Part of the Honten, a renovated house built in 1910, serves as a cafe space. On limited days of the week and only in the morning, you can enjoy a breakfast centered on onigiri (rice balls).

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The menu has only one item, the “Hana Musubi set meal.” You can choose any 2 kinds you like from about 6 varieties of onigiri (rice balls).

The rice used for the onigiri comes from Nara Prefecture. The miso soup is well known for its carefully made dashi (soup stock), with a nice aroma and rich umami.

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The onigiri (rice balls) are known for being shaped lightly and loosely with freshly cooked rice. They are best eaten by hand while wrapped in a large sheet of nori (seaweed).

The fillings that go with the onigiri are also mostly simple, such as ume (pickled plum), salmon, and okaka (bonito flakes). You can also add extra onigiri or miso soup for an additional charge.

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Omusubi-dokoro Wagaya is located on the first floor of an apartment building on Funahashi-dori Shopping Street, which thrived as the shopping street in front of Kintetsu Nara Station until 1969.

The “omusubi” in the shop’s name is the same dish as onigiri (rice balls). In the Kansai area, including Nara, people often call hand-formed rice balls “omusubi.”

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The compact interior seems to have 7 seats in total, with 6 counter seats and one table. Open only during the day, this popular spot gets crowded at lunchtime.

The onigiri (rice balls) are said to be firmly shaped so they are easy to hold by hand, yet they gently fall apart in the mouth with just the right texture.

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One nice point is that you can also watch them shape the onigiri (rice balls) right in front of you. You can enjoy them as a set with miso soup and side dishes.

One of the side dishes, dashimaki tamago (Japanese rolled omelet), is an omelet made with plenty of dashi broth and eggs. This dish is also popular for being very good.

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Ippo Niho is an apartment building near Naramachi Odori and Shimomikado Shotengai. Tucked a little farther in, it is a hideaway-like onigiri (rice ball) specialty shop.

Inside, there is an order counter and a space covered with artificial grass, where you can take off your shoes and enjoy your meal with a picnic-like feel. Takeout is also available, according to reviews.

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There are about 15 kinds of onigiri (rice balls) with all sorts of fillings. They are made in a style where triangle-shaped rice is topped in the center with fillings that go well with rice and sandwiched with nori.

Onigiri wrapped not in nori but in "tororo kombu kelp (shaved kombu kelp)" packed with umami are also popular.

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They also offer original fillings, such as egg yolk marinated only in soy sauce and “maguro yukke (seasoned raw tuna)” made with tuna dressed in sauce.

The “nikumaki onigiri bo (meat-wrapped rice ball skewer),” made by shaping rice into a ball, skewering it on a stick, wrapping it in thinly sliced meat, then grilling it until fragrant and seasoning it with sauce, is also recommended for eating on the go.

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Hakomu Saidaiji Eki Ten is located inside Saidaiji Station, the station near Saidai-ji (a temple founded in the 7th century). It is one of the Hakomu restaurants found inside stations in Nara and Osaka.

It specializes in Takeout, and there is also shared table seating with other restaurants. It is open from morning to night, and you can casually buy even just one item.

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During the hours when cooking staff are on hand, they make the onigiri (rice balls) to order and serve them freshly shaped. You can enjoy soft, fluffy onigiri made with air folded in.

There are more than 15 kinds of fillings. You can choose from options like a mayonnaise and tuna mix, pickled plum, or soboro (sweet-savory seasoned minced chicken).

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They also sell sets with onigiri (rice balls) plus side dishes, as well as boxed bento meals. Pre-made onigiri are also lined up in the display case.

The packaged ones are easy to carry and keep the onigiri shape from falling apart, so they are recommended for Takeout when you want to eat them later.

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Nanasan Omusubi is a shop near Exit 5 of Kintetsu Nara Station. It is located on the first floor of a building, marked by a glass door with a wooden frame.

It is a compact shop specializing in onigiri (rice balls) for Takeout only. It is open from the morning, and it closes when the ingredients run out.

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About 10 kinds of onigiri (rice balls) are lined up on the counter inside. If one is not on display, they will make it fresh on the spot right away.

They use Hinohikari rice from Nara Prefecture and Ariake nori (seaweed) farmed in the Ariake Sea in Kyushu.

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Because the filling sits at the top of the triangle, you can enjoy the combination of filling, rice, and nori (seaweed) from the very first bite. As you keep eating, you will also find plenty of filling packed inside the rice.

There were also reviews saying that even when they got it as Takeout and the rice had gone cold, they could still tell how good the rice was.

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NARACOCO is a shop run by farmers who grow rice in Nara Prefecture. They sell onigiri (rice balls) made with rice they grew themselves, as well as bread made with rice flour.

It is located near Anrakuji, a temple associated with Shotoku Taishi (Prince Shotoku), the famous politician from around the 6th century. The shop makes use of an old building where kawara-yane (tiled roofs) and a kura (storehouse) still remain.

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Inside, there is a bright, woody eat-in space. You can pour yourself tea in a self-service style and enjoy it with onigiri (rice balls).

There are about 15 kinds of onigiri, and they make them to order after you place your order. They are said to be gently shaped so they do not fall apart even when you hold them in your hand.

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Not only is the rice delicious, but the fillings are all Special selections as well. The limited-quantity "unagi (grilled eel)" features kabayaki eel served over rice.

"Yaki-onigiri (grilled rice ball)" is made by grilling the surface of the onigiri and brushing it with soy sauce. There is also a menu item where the onigiri is placed in a bowl, dashi (Japanese soup stock) is poured over it, and you can enjoy it as ochazuke (rice with tea or broth).

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Onigiri no Kotoya is a takeout specialty shop for onigiri (rice balls) and bento boxed meals, located in Kashiba City in northwestern Nara Prefecture, which borders Osaka, near the Higashiguchi intersection of the Asahigaoka housing complex.

Founded in 1992, it has been loved by locals for more than 30 years.

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They open from the morning, and by evening some popular items may already be sold out.

About eight kinds of onigiri (rice balls) are lined up on the counter inside. They are known as onigiri that still taste great even after some time has passed.

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The signature item is “Kikori-musubi.” It is said to be inspired by a meal wrapped in bamboo skin so that kikori (forestry workers) could easily carry it into the mountains.

It is like a simple bento, with a large onigiri (rice ball) about the size of two regular rice balls, plus grilled fish and pickles. It is known for being filling and tasty.