The Thousands

In Japan, foreigners seem to go round breaking cultural codes more often than Biggest Losers break chairs. Aside from wearing toilet slippers in the bedroom and rudely pouring my own drink, for a couple of weeks on tour I referred to onigiri as "those rice balls".

As a cultural experience, onigiri are up there with onsen and karaoke, but cuter. They are vinegared rice, elegantly shaped, wrapped in nori then infused with tuna, mayo, plum, salmon and other strange but satisfying flavours.**Onigiri are much more than a rice ball, and tricky to get in Sydney. However, the Japanese Asian Grocery 8 makes them fresh each day (go in early as they will sell out). If this does occur, there’s always the BBQ pork bun: a steamed lump of fluff stuffed with pork jelly; now that’s a cultural experience.