Onigiri just might be my new favorite comfort food. It's the ultimate grab and go convenience snack in Japan. Walk into any 7-11 and for the equivalent of a few dollars, you can have a truly satisfying snack. Grab a few and you've got yourself a healthy, filling meal. I certainly embraced Japanese rice balls on our recent trip to Japan. Too many to count, in fact. One of our favorite culinary stops in Japan was an onigiri shop in Kyoto called Aoonigiri. While I had nothing against the 7-11 ones (I ate plenty of them), this tiny restaurant took onigiri to an entirely new level. It was life changing. I knew once I returned home that, while I couldn't come close to recreating the artful onigiri I enjoyed there, I needed to learn to make them myself. Of all the different flavors and fillings I tried (intentionally or accidentally, I didn't always know what I was biting into) my favorite by far was the umeboshi (Japanese salt plums). To make umeboshi is somewhat of an art form, and,

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