Interest

Convenience Store Stockpiles Rice Balls as Comiket Prep

Rice balls (onigiri) are choice snacks for event goers in Japan. Whether attending a festival or convention, many people stock up on the tasty handheld snacks to fend off hunger. Accordingly, the convenience stores near Comic Market 92 (Comiket 92) ordered a bountiful supply of various flavors of rice balls for convention attendees. Twitter users posted pictures of the stock at the LAWSON convenience store near a station by Tokyo Big Sight, where the convention is running from Friday to Sunday.

While some online commenters are impressed with the display, others called the abundance of rice balls an apparent "ordering fail." Nevertheless, the orderly display is an admirable example of retail workers' skills in Japan.

Will the store be able to sell their supply of rice balls by Sunday? If not, what will happen to the leftovers? They will likely sell for a steep discount, but the final few might also draw inspiration from the nearby otaku event. They could join a team of anthropomorphized rice ball ninjas if they get lonely.

[Via Otakomu]