Onigiri Bongo | Review by Linda Liao

Linda Liao’s Profile Page

Onigiri Bongo

A Shop Where You Can Eat Warm, Freshly-Made Onigiri.

29 Sep 2026 See More

I saw this place featured on a TV food show and visited on a weekday afternoon. This rice ball shop is small, but there's always a line outside, and it's even longer on weekends. The secret to the delicious rice balls is the owner's insistence on using premium rice from Niigata, which gives them a pleasantly chewy, plump texture. There are more than 50 fillings that you can mix and match however you like, so the possibilities are endless!

Since I had plans that evening, I didn't want to eat too much, so I ordered one rice ball to satisfy my craving, along with a steaming bowl of miso soup. It was very filling and generously stuffed.

Other Reviews by Linda Liao

gashacoco Ikebukuro

Just about a 2-minute walk from Ikebukuro Station, “gashacoco Ikebukuro” is a specialty shop dedicated to capsule toys. With a sales floor of about 150 tsubo (about 495 m²), it boasts around 1,500 capsule toy vending machines. The lineup spans a wide range of genres, including anime characters, Heisei retro, and food motifs.
- Ikebukuro
- Experiences Facilities
29 Sep 2026 See More

While walking around, I came across the capsule toy shop gashacoco and was drawn inside before I knew it. After carefully considering my options, I tried the Moomin tabletop mini alarm clock series. The quality is quite good, and it costs only JPY 500, making it a nice decoration for the office. I also accidentally got a Snoopy umbrella charm. Although it really is a useless little trinket, it's still very comforting. Don't forget that you can also redeem a beautiful pair of chopsticks here!
Shirakawa Joshin Main Store

Shirakawa Joshin Main Store, located near Nagoya Castle, is a long-established restaurant famous for its hitsumabushi-a renowned Nagoya specialty featuring grilled eel, cut into small pieces and served atop rice.
- Nagoya
- Japanese Cuisine
29 Sep 2026 See More

I specifically added Shirakawa Joshin Main Store to my itinerary just to try the eel rice I’d been looking forward to for so long! Watching the chef repeatedly brush on the secret sauce passed down through generations and grill the eel until the skin was slightly charred, crisp, and fragrant while the meat inside stayed delicate and tender made me hungry just looking at it~

Once it’s served, don’t forget to try the classic “three ways”: first, enjoy the original flavors of the eel and white rice; second, add toppings like nori, green onions, and wasabi to experience different layers of flavor; finally, pour in the dashi broth to turn it into a light, easy-to-eat ochazuke. Each of the three ways has its own flavor. The meal was very satisfying and became one of the most memorable meals of the trip.
Yamanami Highway

The Yamanami Highway is the nickname for Prefectural Route 11, which runs from Beppu in Oita Prefecture to Ichinomiya in Kumamoto Prefecture. The route offers a refreshing drive with sweeping views of the majestic Kuju Mountain Range and other stunning scenery.
- Oita
- Tourist Attractions
29 Sep 2026 See More

Taking a trip to Aso is, in my opinion, a great way to get to know Kumamoto. It doesn't take too long to get there from the city—after about an hour, the scenery outside the window gradually begins to change, slowly shifting from familiar city streets to endless green grasslands and mountain views, as if you've entered another world. The scenery along the way is soothing and relaxing, making you want to slow down and fully take in Aso's natural beauty. Looking down from the mountain road, the cars traveled neatly one after another along the winding road, looking as cute as little Tomica cars from a distance! We also happened to see a helicopter flying across the sky in the distance. Together with the traffic on the ground, it created views from different heights. I imagined that looking down from the air at Aso's magnificent volcanic terrain and grasslands must be beautiful too.