Onigiri ochazuke (rice in hot tea)
A warm Japanese comfort bowl. Ochazuke is rice in hot green tea, a classic late-night meal in Japan. A salmon onigiri and a bottle of hot green tea make an easy version.
What to buy
- Grilled salmon onigiri鮭 おにぎりA triangle rice ball filled with flaked, lightly salted grilled salmon and wrapped in seaweed. One of the best-selling fillings in Japan; look for 鮭 (salmon) on the label.
- Hot green tea (bottle)ホット 緑茶Bottled green tea from the heated case near the register, marked ホット (hot). Mostly sold from autumn to spring. You can also use the store's hot water and a tea bag.
- Instant miso soup cup (optional)みそ汁For a richer version, pour the onigiri into a cup of instant miso soup instead of tea.
How to make it
- Make it where you have a bowl or a large cup (your hotel room works well), or use the cup from the instant miso soup.
- Unwrap the onigiri, put it in the cup and break it up with chopsticks.
- Pour hot green tea over it until the rice is just covered, then eat it with chopsticks or a spoon.
Good to knowContains fish (salmon). Be careful with hot drinks. Not every store has an eat-in space; you can also make it at your hotel.
Prices are rough totals (October 2026) and vary by store and product.
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