Street Gastronomy: Meat Wrapped Rice Balls (Kyoto, Japan)

From afar, they look like "turon" (banana lumpia). Once closer, you'll rethink your guess. It's hotdog on a stick. But are they?

Well, they're really rice balls wrapped in thinly-sliced meat - the nikumaki onigiri. There are two food concepts here: the "onigiri" refers to the rice balls; the "nikumaki" refers to the thinly-sliced meat, as I was told. These items are delicious and cheap at 500 yen a piece. Meat wraps are found all over Japan but they originated from the southern island of Kyushu.

I was just walking out of the Fushimi Inari Shrine when I saw these rice balls at the side streets of Kyoto, Japan's cultural mecca. 

This is the Eye in the Sky!
  

Yup, they're rice alright.

Before garnishing them.

#streetfood   #kyoto   #riceballs   #japan