¡°When I die, I would like to come back as an onigiri.¡±

With these words, Yumiko Ukon, the owner of rice ball specialist shop in Tokyo¡¯s Otsuka neighborhood, lowered the sheet of paper from which she was reading her speech to a captive audience and took a bow. A few hours later, as Japan¡¯s first-ever was winding down, I was granted a five-minute audience with Ukon.

¡°You mentioned in your speech that you¡¯d like to be reborn as a rice ball,¡± I said. ¡°What flavor?¡±