Japanese New Yorker aims to get ‘onigiri’ rice balls into city’s top 3 street foods

NEW YORK (Mainichi) — The first true Japanese eatery in New York is believed to have been Miyako, which opened its doors around 1910. Over a century later, there are now more than 1,000 establishments claiming to serve Japanese dishes in the city. Lately, Japanese expats directly hit by inflation and the weak yen have become the minority of customers even at Japanese-owned restaurants here. While Japan may have weakened as a whole, it goes to show just how many New Yorkers crave authentic Japanese cuisine.

Hiroaki Kato, 34, took up the challenge of opening a food truck with three selling points: quick, cheap and tasty. After working as a research developer for a major security firm, Kato studied abroad at Parsons School of Design in the Big Apple. He was surprised to see classmates scarfing down “omusubi” rice balls, otherwise known as “onigiri,” during lunch break after purchasing them at supermarkets.

When he tried buying one himself, the rice was cold and crumbly. Taken out of its wrapping, it was hard enough to be broken into two halves. “If this can sell, I might as well try it myself,” he thought. After graduating, he opened a business, and started up New York’s first onigiri food truck, named Musubin’, this May.

Although Kato hails from a rice farmer family in Mie Prefecture, he had no experience in the food and beverage industry. He reached out to an acquaintance who’s an official government chef to craft a menu suited for the locale, and got a designer to work on the branding. The truck’s plain white exterior, taking its tone from the omusubi, stands out amid the complex scenery.

New York is the city with the highest prices in the United States, where a bowl of ramen can go for over $20 (approx. 3,000 yen) once taxes and tips are factored in. Musubin’s lowest-priced item is the sesame salt rice ball at $4.50 while offerings such as salmon or pollock roe rice balls start at $6 apiece. Kato cooks the rice in the morning and keeps it warm until an order arrives, when he rolls the items by hand. The target strata of customers are students and workers in nearby offices.

There are close to 5,000 licensed food trucks in New York. Famous ones are featured in tourist guide books and can garner lineups before they open. A majority are run by immigrants, and many provide halal foods. Chicken over rice, a dish of spicy chicken and salad with flavorful long-grain rice, has become a staple of not-quite-gourmet meals in the city.

“I want to change up New York’s street food culture,” Kato said. He aims to get onigiri into the top three options, behind only hot dogs and halal foods.

(Japanese original by Kosuke Hatta, New York Bureau)