日本各地の食と世界を
“共創おにぎり”で結ぶ

"Co-creation Onigiri（rice balls）"
Uniting food from all over Japan
with the world

Traditional Japanese Food “Onigiri”

For Japanese people, the rice ball, or "onigiri", is considered an iconic comfort food. It is a traditional food that has been enjoyed by the common people for 2000 years, ever since the Yayoi period. As it is considered an auspicious food that bonds people together, it is also called "omusubi", which means "connection". The variety of ingredients used in the making of onigiri such as rice, seaweed, salt and fillings are endless. We will be offering many kinds of onigiri made with unique ingredients representative of regions from all over Japan. Please enjoy the variety of tastes, textures as well as local histories when eating them.

A Thousand-Year Bond: Murakami, the City Living in Harmony with Salmon

Murakami City in Niigata Prefecture, facing the Sea of Japan, still retains the historical ambiance of a castle town. Here, for over a thousand years, a bond between salmon and people has been woven. At the venue, we offer onigiri (rice balls) filled with traditional flavors, including the exquisite "SHIOBIKIZAKE" (salt-cured salmon), a product of Murakami's unique climate and terrain. The food culture born from the wisdom of using every part of a salmon without waste, stemming from a deep reverence for the fish, truly embodies the Japanese spirit of living in harmony with nature. Experience Murakami's salmon culture through these special onigiri.

A lot of great food in Matsubara

Matsubara City in Osaka Prefecture, just a stone's throw from the Expo 2025 Osaka,Kansai,Japan site, has many traditional products that have been produced for a long time. The Kawachi duck, a top-quality duck that has been produced since 1897, was adopted as an official food ingredient at the G20 Osaka Summit, and its fresh, unctuous, high-quality flavor can be enjoyed because the entire process from hatching to processing and sales is done in an integrated manner. Other products include "Namba leek," a traditional Osaka vegetable with a strong sweetness and sliminess that is said to be the root of leek in Japan, and kombu tsukudani, which has been produced since 1902 using a proprietary method. At the venue, we will offer Onigiri with a combination of "Kawachi duck" and "Namba leek" as well as Onigiri full of flavor made with kombu tsukudani. We hope you will enjoy these special Onigiri filled with the charm of "Matsubara."

Arida mandarin orange and seafood from the Kii Channel

Mandarin orange cultivation in the Arida region is one of Japanese Nationally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems.It is believed to have started 450 years ago when Magoemon Ito brought back saplings from Kyushu.In Arida, where there is little flat land, a farming method was established where oranges are cultivated by building stone walls on the mountain slopes.And the harvested oranges were then transported by sea to Edo (now Tokyo), bringing great wealth to the impoverished farmers.
In addition, the coastal areas have also long been dotted with fishing villages that use the Kii Channel as a fishing ground.Each fishing village has a diverse fishing industry, bottom trawling with "Utase boats", set-net fishing known as "Ooi Hakkaku", single line fishing and gill nets.Although modernised from rowing to sailing and motorboats, these fishing methods have been handed down to the present day, and the area is one of the leading coastal fishing ports in Wakayama Prefecture.

The food in Nagato is "all different, but all delicious".

Nagato City is located in the north-westernmost part of Japan’s main island, Honshu, in northern Yamaguchi Prefecture. It is also famous as a ‘yakitori town’, with the number of yakitori restaurants per capita being among the highest in Japan. At the Expo, the Yamaguchi Prefecture-raised ‘Choshu Kuro Kashiwa’ Jidori chicken, which is mainly raised in Nagato City, is grilled over charcoal and served with rice balls adding a moderate chewiness to the umami (the original flavour) of the chicken.
In addition, Nagato City has five hot spring resorts. Nagato Yumoto Onsen ‘Onto’, which has a history of approximately 600 years, is one of the few hot spring facilities in Japan where you can see hot spring water gushing directly from the bedrock, and we will also serve hot spring salt rice balls cooked using ‘Onsen Onto’, a mineral-rich drinkable hot spring at the Expo. Please come and try them.

Treasure trove of Saga beef, Taku City, Saga Prefecture

Taku City is located in the center of Kyushu's Saga Prefecture, and is a city with a thriving agricultural and livestock industry. The nationally famous Saga Beef is a brand of beef that is raised with great care by farmers in the mild climate unique to Saga Prefecture. The tender red meat and finely marbled meat have a concentrated flavor and sweetness. In addition, when you cut the meat with a lot of marbled meat, it is so full of marbled meat that it appears pink all over. The rice, grown in a basin surrounded by beautiful mountains, with clear water and clear air where fireflies fly, is shiny, has large grains, a chewy texture, and is characterized by its sweetness and aroma, and the more you chew it, the more the gentle sweetness spreads.