FamilyMart (the name of a Japanese convenience store) has introduced a new rice ball (rice ball) product: SPAM Onigiri series with barbecue sauce flavor! I often eat onigiri, and I like these SPAM onigiri from Family Mart, even though they are a bit more expensive.

First, let’s start with the standard Tuna Mayonnaise.

The picture doesn’t do the tuna mayonnaise justice, but it is used like a sauce. Then the yellow one is the egg. (I hear that egg sandwiches have become popular among travelers to Japan recently.)

Then there is the thick spam, wrapped in nori (seaweed). The nori is rolled from the beginning, so it is not crispy but moist. It is quite hearty and costs only 290 yen. My personal impression is that the tuna mayonnaise is the center of the flavor, and the SPAM has a nice texture and is delicious.

This one seems to be a new product to commemorate the second anniversary of SPAM Omusubi and its total sales of 50 million servings. It is a combination of Angus beef, BBQ sauce, mayonnaise and SPAM.

The combination of Spam and beef makes this onigiri very hearty for a convenience store onigiri. By the way, the BBQ sauce used is called “Yoshida Sauce”. I guess they sell Yoshida sauce in the U.S. The BBQ is spicy and tasty, perhaps because of the flavor of the Yoshida sauce itself. This one was 300 yen.

Having eaten the two, I prefer the tuna mayonnaise. In Japanese convenience stores, there is an independent type of onigiri called tuna mayonnaise (tsunamayo) as a type of rice ball. To begin with, this tuna mayonnaise is delicious on its own.
I think this SPAM onigiri is an upgraded version of that food.

While writing this blog today, I learned that Spam has been around since 1937 and that there was a Japanese man who fulfilled the American dream with Yoshida sauce. If you are ever in Japan on vacation, you might find onigiri at a convenience store interesting. There are many different kinds!