There used to be a shop selling rice, bento boxes, and onigiri near the north exit of Shinzaki Station. The shop at the north exit of Shinzaki Station closed down a while ago, and this shop seems to have opened afterwards. There is also a main store. I stopped by the main store, but unfortunately they didn't have onigiri or bento boxes in stock, so I ended up coming to this shop. This shop is located a few minutes east of Mizue Station, across the Shibamata Street. It's a small shop with a yellow tent. The shop is narrow, and due to the pandemic, only one group is allowed at a time. Maybe because of the limited time, there was a line of customers waiting. The showcase had one onigiri and eight types of bento boxes. The onigiri were stacked in front of the kitchen, and they were selling out quickly, so there was no time to put them in the showcase. Looking at the price tags, there were about 10 types of onigiri available. In addition, they also sell side dishes and soba noodles. I ordered sujiko (salted salmon roe) for 270 yen tax included, and takana mentaiko (spicy cod roe with pickled mustard greens) for 190 yen tax included. The customer service was good, and the packaging was done well. The takana mentaiko had a small amount of mentaiko on top of pickled mustard greens. When I opened the package, the aroma of seaweed and rice wafted gently. The seaweed aroma was surprisingly strong. The size was normal or slightly small. The rice was shiny with distinct grains, showcasing the quality of the rice, but it was a bit soft for my liking. Nevertheless, the quality of each ingredient and the harmony of flavors made it very delicious. Even though the rice was a bit softer than I prefer, it was incredibly tasty. The sujiko was similar to the onigiri, with salted salmon roe inside. The amount of sujiko was normal, but the quality of each ingredient and the harmony of flavors made it very delicious. It's not that there are a lot of ingredients or strong flavors, but the rice is delicious, with a basic yet well-balanced taste that is free of any roughness. It's a taste that makes you want to keep eating. As expected from a rice shop. I also bought a bento box. It was a tonkatsu (deep-fried pork cutlet) bento box for 760 yen tax included. They mentioned that they use rice from Chiba and Ibaraki. You can get a free upgrade to a large serving of rice. The rice was shiny and glossy, just like the onigiri, but again, it was a bit soft for my liking. However, the rice from a rice shop is a treat. The tonkatsu was about 1cm thick and of a decent size. The quality of the meat didn't quite match that of a tonkatsu specialty shop, but it had some fatty and meaty parts, making it better than the typical tonkatsu in a bento box. The side dishes included hijiki seaweed, potato salad, pickles, tamagoyaki (rolled omelette), and miso soup. The pickles were pre-made, but the other side dishes were well-prepared without any shortcuts, showing that they were carefully thought out and made. The miso soup was a bit light on the miso, but it seemed like they used a lot of wakame seaweed. The strong taste of wakame made the light miso soup delicious. The rice was delicious as expected. I felt satisfied and became a fan of this shop. I come to buy from here occasionally now.

Near Mizue Station, along Shibamata Street, there is a shop that sells rice balls and bento boxes. I have often seen the place bustling with customers during lunchtime, so I decided to try it out today. The showcase inside the shop is filled with a variety of rice balls and bento boxes, ranging from ¥150 to ¥210 for rice balls and mostly in the 800 yen range for bento boxes. While waiting in line, I originally planned to get a bento box, but seeing the customers in front of me buying rice balls one after another, I ended up changing my order to rice balls as well! I got a leaf chili pepper rice ball for ¥180 and a mackerel rice ball for ¥190. I also added a fried chicken piece for ¥90 and a pack of fried egg for ¥180. I'll enjoy them as a takeaway right away. The rice balls are slightly thin triangular shapes with just the right amount of saltiness. The fillings are delicious, especially the plump mackerel in the rice ball. It's not an overwhelmingly amazing taste, but simply and deeply delicious. The fried chicken has a homemade feel to it, and it's interesting to see fried egg being sold. They also sell rice itself in the shop. Overall, it's a traditional rice ball and bento box shop.

This used to be a shop in Shinzaki. It had a rice shop feel, where you could buy onigiri and eat them on the spot. Sometimes they would sell out by early afternoon, so you couldn't buy any. They also had bento boxes, rice bowls, onigiri, and side dishes available. It's a bit of a walk from Mizue Station, but not too far to walk. I will come back again. There is also a bus stop nearby. I bought the Herb Chicken Bento and the Mutsu Bento, and they came with a small cup of miso soup with seaweed. The rice was delicious, and the herb chicken and tamagoyaki were tasty. I want to try the rice bowl next time.

I sometimes buy bento boxes from here. The side dishes are ordinary, but the rice from this rice shop is delicious even when it's a little cold. The onigiri is also recommended, with a variety of options available. If they don't have it in the showcase, they will make it for you.

I received a delivery of kombu and tuna mayo onigiri (among other items) and was surprised by how salty the onigiri was. It seemed like the salt was mixed into the rice before it was molded, rather than being sprinkled on afterwards.