🍙onigiri and bento kanji for a rushed 7-eleven stop
for when you're standing in front of the shelf with three minutes before your train
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1
鮭 (shake)
salmon, usually grilled and lightly salted. the safe default if you don't recognize anything else.
2
梅 (ume)
pickled plum. sour, no fish, vegetarian
3
昆布 (konbu)
simmered kelp. sweet-savory, also vegetarian
4
おかか (okaka)
bonito flakes in soy sauce. not vegetarian even though it looks plain
5
たらこ / 明太子
cod roe / spicy pollack roe. tarako is milder, mentaiko has chili. both are fish roe, obviously
6
ツナマヨ
7
卵
egg. one of the 8 allergens Japan legally requires on the label
8
乳
milk/dairy, same mandatory list
9
小麦
wheat. hides in soy sauce and breading, not just noodles
10
そば
buckwheat. only matters for soba sets but it's on every allergen box regardless
11
えび / かに
shrimp / crab, common in tempura bento fillers you wouldn't expect
12
落花生
13
くるみ
walnut, added to the mandatory 8 in 2023, so older guidebooks won't mention it
14
アレルギー
the word "allergy" itself, printed above the allergen box so you know where to look
15
温めますか？
"shall I heat it up?", the register clerk phrase for bento. just nod or say hai
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