I went to Kyoto Isetan to buy rice balls for breakfast. The brand is "Furuiichi-an" by Echigoya Jinbei. They use a blend of Koshihikari rice from Uonuma and fragrant rice. They also use carefully selected seaweed from Ariake. There were many types of fillings to choose from, but since I was in Kyoto, I chose the shredded green pepper (210 yen). The rice ball was packed full of shredded green pepper, which was a delight. The taste was great, with the fluffy texture of the delicious rice complementing it well. It was a nice touch to include a piece of pickled vegetables.

This time, we took the Shinkansen back from Kyoto after 9 p.m. We wanted to enjoy Kyoto to the last minute, so we usually make reservations for dinner in Kyoto and this time we had a proper course meal at a lunch gathering, so we might not be hungry later. Therefore, we decided not to make a reservation for dinner and just go to a restaurant on the spot. This turned out to be the right decision! Even after 7 p.m., neither my husband nor I felt hungry, in fact, we were too full to eat anything. We decided to give up on dinner and buy something for later in case we got hungry at midnight. We ended up at the basement of Isetan department store. However, since we were already full, we didn't feel like buying anything... Oh, but maybe rice balls would be good for a light snack later! So we stopped by and bought pickled mustard greens, spicy cod roe, and cod roe rice balls. The price of the rice balls was quite high, probably because it was in a department store. As expected, when we got home after midnight, we felt like having a snack. My husband had the spicy cod roe, my daughter had the pickled mustard greens, and I had the cod roe rice ball. I had high expectations for the taste and price because it was a department store and the price was set high, but hmm... a bit disappointing. Even compared to the items from the shops in JR East stations, both the price and taste fell short. Ease of reservation and likelihood of revisiting - Thank you for the meal~.

I visited a specialty store in the basement of Isetan in Kyoto, where I found some interesting onigiri. I purchased a few that caught my eye, including: - Cheese and Bonito: This combination was new to me, but the saltiness and richness of the cheese paired surprisingly well with the bonito flakes. I thought about trying to recreate this at home. - Chicken Soboro: A simple yet satisfying onigiri version of a two-color rice bowl. As a fan of chicken, I enjoyed the flavor. - Pickled Turnip and Wasabi: A sophisticated taste with the crisp texture of pickled turnip and the sharpness of wasabi. I would prefer to have this after other dishes to refresh my palate. - Scallop and Butter: A winter limited edition with a flavor reminiscent of takikomi gohan. While I appreciate onigiri with whole scallops, I don't mind the consistent taste throughout this one. I used to think of onigiri as a common dish for Japanese people, but trying specialty store onigiri like these made me realize its depth. I'll be sure to share about any other interesting onigiri I come across in the future.

There is no article. Before riding the bullet train, enjoy the sunset with a station bento. I got this bento at "Echigo-ya Jinbei" at JR Kyoto Isetan store. I am happy with the two-color rice in the bento. The overall taste is light, which is typical of Kyoto cuisine. My husband enjoyed the Nishikyo-yaki. I am a Kyoto addict and never get tired of visiting Kyoto. Until we meet again.

I bought some onigiri to eat at home. It's from a chain store that you can find everywhere. There are different types to choose from, but this time I got a pack of three: plum, kombu, and takana, for 540 yen. When you buy from these stores, the salt tends to be on the lighter side, but the fillings are flavorful. Onigiri is always good no matter how old you get! It's hard to resist wanting more (laughs).

I bought onigiri at the basement of Kyoto Isetan while shopping. It was a shop I had never heard of before, but it said "Naniwa Koiichi-an" on the paper towel. It seems to be related to Inari Sushi. They cost between 200 and 300 yen each, which is quite expensive. I bought three and had them wrapped up, and when I held them, I realized they were heavy! Three of them weigh about the same as five convenience store onigiri. They also came with a small pack of pickled daikon radish. However, after eating one, it was quite filling and the two of us couldn't finish all three. The rice was good, but the seaweed was rolled directly around the rice, making it moist. I prefer it crispy.

I went to "Echigo-ya Jinbei" located near Kyoto Station Isetan after having a quick dinner at "Torimisawa" to buy onigiri for breakfast the next day since I have an early morning work. - Food (☆3.4): I bought chicken rice and cheese bonito. The next morning, I warmed them up in the microwave. The cheese bonito, despite being reheated in the microwave, had fluffy rice with the cheese melted just right and tasted delicious. The chicken rice was a bit dry but still quite tasty. Both dishes were delicious, being from specialty shops. - Service (☆3.5): Polite service. - Atmosphere (☆3.5): It's a retail store with a face-to-face sales style. The display looks appetizing. - Value for money (☆2.8): Chicken rice (195 yen) and cheese bonito (216 yen). There are also value sets available, but overall, the prices are a bit high due to being in a department store. - Overall: This shop, like "Torimisawa," is recommended as a substitute for station bento. With a wide variety of options, it truly lives up to its reputation as a specialty onigiri shop.

I went to Kyoto Isetan to buy onigiri for breakfast. I visited Jubei from Echigo-ya because I liked their onigiri last time. The rice used is Koshihikari from Uonuma. There are various onigiri with different fillings displayed in the showcase, making it hard to choose. Since I'm in Kyoto, I decided to buy the Chirimen Sansho (dried baby sardines with Japanese pepper) for 249 yen, which is the second most popular item. The Chirimen Sansho is packed full of flavor, and the fluffy texture of the delicious rice pairs well with it. Chirimen Sansho is a mixture of dried baby sardines and Japanese pepper seeds cooked together. The sweet and savory baby sardines combined with the spicy aroma of the Japanese pepper seeds complement each other very well. It goes perfectly with white rice.

It's Sunday night. I'm in Kyoto. I was naive. I thought I could come to Kyoto Station a bit early, grab something to eat in the underground shopping area, and catch the Shinkansen, but oh no, every food stall in that underground area had long lines. It's not just the inbound tourists, huh. Kyoto is indeed Japan's top tourist destination. People from all over Japan, including raccoons, flock here. Hmm. I'm also worried about the Shinkansen time, so I wandered around and ended up buying three limited edition Hida beef croquettes and some rice dishes. In Kyoto, there are many famous traditional Japanese cuisine bento boxes, but if they get cold, it's a turn-off. So, I settled for onigiri. I found this place, Echigo-ya Jinbei, at the station. It seems like a rice ball shop similar to Furuiichian, a well-known store in department store basements. I ordered kombu and salmon onigiri. And I enjoyed them on the Shinkansen. Yeah, they were just delicious. They were nothing like the drugstore-packed onigiri from convenience stores. And that was a satisfying meal. PS: I will also include a photo of Higashi Honganji. Please enjoy when you have time.

I didn't know this, but this shop is actually a branch of the sushi chain "Furuichi-an". Compared to convenience store rice balls, it may look smaller, but unlike the loose rice in convenience store rice balls, these are firmly packed so the amount of rice is the same. The fillings are plentiful, and even though the price is a bit high, the content is worth it. On this day, I purchased "kombu", "okaka", "chirimen sansho", and "wasabi greens with wakame". When I tried to take a cross-sectional photo, the topping that was placed on top collapsed, making it look messy, but I hope you can still see how generous the fillings are.

I had already eaten lunch, but I had some time until dinner so I visited around 2pm for a snack. There were many delicious-looking onigiri, but most of them were simple and classic flavors, with few options that would appeal to younger people (such as meat fillings). I bought a grilled rice ball. It was tasty, but personally I thought that the fillings in other onigiri could be a bit more flavorful.