Onsen Tamago Sando (温泉たまごサンド)
A whole onsen tamago, the hot-spring egg, its white set to loose custard and its yolk barely set, seated on a cradle of egg salad so the gold spreads but does not flood the milk bread.
Japan
Onigirazu (おにぎらず)
Onigirazu is named for a refusal: the negative of nigiru, to press, so it means the rice ball you did not press. One sheet of nori does the holding, and the flat cross-section is the payoff.
Onigirazu - Yakiniku (焼肉おにぎらず)
The richest onigirazu turns on its one ingredient from a bottle: yakiniku no tare, the sweet-soy glaze Ebara has sold since 1968.
Onigirazu - Umeboshi (梅おにぎらず)
The pickled-plum onigirazu: a flat nori-and-rice envelope built around a single umeboshi, the salt-and-acid threading the rice and giving the format its longest practical lunch-bag life.
Onigirazu - Tuna Mayo (ツナマヨおにぎらず)
Tuna mayo is the best-selling konbini onigiri flavour; onigirazu takes it out of the rice-ball core and spreads it flat. The most forgiving, lunchbox-friendly member of the family.
Onigirazu - Tonkatsu (とんかつおにぎらず)
The panko-fried pork cutlet built into the flat onigirazu frame: a rice-and-nori envelope around a brown-sauced tonkatsu cutlet, born in the format's 2014 revival.
Onigirazu - Teriyaki Chicken (照り焼きチキンおにぎらず)
Onigirazu with teriyaki chicken.
Onigirazu - Spam and Egg (スパムたまごおにぎらず)
Pan-fried Spam and a flat egg stacked between two beds of rice, folded into a nori packet. Okinawa's pork tamago in sandwich form.
Onigirazu - Shrimp Tempura (海老天おにぎらず)
A straightened shrimp, tempura batter still hot from the fryer, sealed into rice and nori: onigirazu's showiest filling starts losing its crackle within minutes.
Onigirazu - Salmon (鮭おにぎらず)
Shiojake flaked off the skin and spread flat between two beds of rice, sealed in one sheet of nori and cut open to show a coral band.
Onigirazu - Natto (納豆おにぎらず)
Onigirazu with natto (fermented soybeans); acquired taste.
Onigirazu - Kinpira (きんぴらおにぎらず)
Onigirazu with kinpira gobo (braised burdock root and carrot).
Onigirazu - Karaage (唐揚げおにぎらず)
Karaage onigirazu folds Japanese fried chicken, soy-ginger-garlic thigh in a crisp potato-starch coat that holds even cold, into a flat nori-and-rice envelope cut to show the banded face.
Onigirazu - BLT Style (BLT風おにぎらず)
Onigirazu with bacon, lettuce, tomato; fusion.
Onigirazu - Avocado (アボカドおにぎらず)
Onigirazu with avocado; modern healthy variation.
Omurice Sando (オムライスサンド)
A whole portion of omurice, ketchup chicken rice sealed in a thin omelette, slid between soft shokupan. A century-old kissaten plate, translated into something you can carry.
Okinawa Pork Tamago (沖縄ポークたまご)
Okinawa's everyday pork-and-egg sandwich, built from the canned luncheon meat an occupying army left behind. A seared slab, a folded egg, soft milk bread or a rice parcel, eaten by hand.
Okayama French Toast (岡山フレンチトースト)
Okayama specialty using premium shokupan; very thick, caramelized.
Ogura Toast (小倉トースト)
Thick-sliced toast topped with ogura-an (sweet red bean paste with whole beans) and butter; Nagoya specialty, eaten at kissaten with morn...
Nogami Shokupan Sando (乃が美食パンサンド)
Sandwich using Nogami brand premium shokupan; no-knead, melt-in-mouth bread.
Nitamago Sando (煮卵サンド)
Featuring marinated soft-boiled ramen eggs (ajitsuke tamago/nitamago) with soy-mirin flavor; umami-rich.
Niigata Tare Katsu Sando (新潟タレカツサンド)
Niigata-style tonkatsu with sweet soy sauce tare (rather than thick tonkatsu sauce) sandwich.
Naporitan Pan (ナポリタンパン)
Naporitan pan loads ketchup-fried spaghetti into a split koppepan roll: starch on starch from the Showa bakery case. The yoshoku noodle whose New Grand original, by chef Irie, ran on tomato puree.
Napolitan Sando (ナポリタンサンド)
Ketchup-stir-fried spaghetti, the kissaten plate called naporitan, pressed flat between two slices of soft Japanese milk bread. A Showa-era cafe favorite, folded into a sandwich.