A few years ago, Cereal Magazine published and interview with Hara Kenya. Of course it is always fascinating to get some extra insight into the design thinking of such a maestro, but that's not what caught our attention.
Towards to end of the interview, they asked Hara Kenya; "which single object or design brings him the greatest contentment". His answer touched our heart more deeply than we could have imagined......
"An onigiri or rice ball. “It’s made by steaming rice, gently patting it into shape, and including a sour or piquant ingredient called gu in the centre, such as pickled plum or salted salmon … Whenever I hold an onigiri, without fail, it makes me happy.”
In terms of design, it's a near perfect portable food. These days they are often wrapped in plastic, paper or encased in a bento box. Yet Hiro's grandmother uses bamboo leaves to wrap hers. I need to learn this skill from her.
O-nigiri is something so closely attached to our ordinary life. It's our son's favourite food so Hiro makes them with a lot of love and care. Homemade onigiri are made in the palms of the hand. Patting and forming the rice into a triangular shape they are a true Japanese soul food.
The original Cereal Magazine interview with Kenya Hara.