Calorific Hawaiian-style onigiri

Takusan Omusubi Poku Tamago & Tsuna Mayonezu

Brand: 7-11

Price: 298 yen

Place of purchase: 7-11 convenience store

Rating:

This onigiri is the second item I've tried in 7-11's series in honour of Osaka Expo 2025. For 298 yen, you get an omusbi, a rice ball, packed with grilled pork sausage, omelette, and tuna mayonnaise. This rice ball appears to be inspired by Spam omusubi, an adaptation of rice balls originating in Hawaii. This version is substantial enough for a light meal with some soup and sides. The tuna mayonnaise gives it a nice texture. This is a comfort food item with a lot of calories. It's available from April 15th.

This Hawaiian-inspired rice ball is offered at a premium price of nearly 300 yen. However, it's massive and loaded with a substantial slab of fried pork sausage and egg and a slathering of tuna mayonnaise. Note that this is calorific! The product page indicates that it's a whopping 436 calories. It made a meal for me with some sides. It resemmbles Spam omusubi from Hawaii, but of course, the trademarked product name can't be used. What's the difference between omusubi and onigiri? The word refers to the same thing, but one theory is upper-class people called them omusubi while commoners used the word onigiri.