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Spirited Away Onigiri (Spicy Tuna)
Bento & Rice Dishes · Easy
Satsuki's Totoro Bento (Hinomaru Lunch Box)
- Prep
- 10m
- Cook
- 15m
- Total
- 25m
- Serves
- 1
- Difficulty
- Easy
In My Neighbor Totoro, Satsuki's lunch box is deliberately modest — not a trendy charaben, but the kind of bento a twelve-year-old might pack for her little sister in 1950s rural Japan. White rice, one pickled plum, a grilled dried sardine, green beans, and pink fish flakes: sweet, salty, and tangy in every bite.
The umeboshi sitting in the center turns this into a hinomaru bento, named after the Japanese flag. Beyond symbolism, pickled plum was a practical choice when fridges were rare — its acidity helps keep rice from spoiling on warm afternoons.
This version follows what appears on screen. Start from dry koshihikari rice (amounts scale when you adjust servings), use store-bought sakura denbu, and grill mezashi on a stovetop pan if you lack a built-in fish grill — the film's hibachi moment is inspiration, not a requirement.
Ingredients
Recipe ingredients
- 1/2 cup uncooked
- 1
- 1–2 small dried sardines
- Salted Green Beanssmall handful
or shelled edamame
- 2 tbsp
Pantry staples
Salt, oil, butter, and other basics you likely already have — scaled with servings above.
- Water · for 1/2 cup rice — ~1:1–1.1 rice cooker, 1:1.2 stovetop1/2 to 0.55 cup (rice cooker) or 0.6 cup (stovetop)
- Kosher salt · for blanching water + green beanspinch
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Instructions
- 1
Rinse and cook the rice
Rinse 1/2 cup koshihikari rice until the water runs mostly clear. Rice cooker: add 1/2 to 0.55 cup water and run the white rice cycle (~20 minutes). Stovetop: use 0.6 cup water (1:1.2), bring to a boil, cover, simmer 15 minutes on low without lifting the lid, then rest covered 10 minutes. Fluff and keep warm.
- 2
Blanch the green beans
While the rice cooks, boil green beans in well-salted water 3–4 minutes until tender but still bright. Drain, pat dry, and toss with a pinch of kosher salt. Set aside.
- 3
Grill the mezashi
Cook dried sardines on a fish grill or in an unoiled frying pan over medium heat, turning once, until lightly charred on both sides and crisp at the edges — about 2–3 minutes per side depending on size.
- 4
Pack the hinomaru rice
Fill your bento box (or a bowl) with warm steamed rice. Gently press one umeboshi into the center so it sits like the red disc on the Japanese flag. Do not bury it — visibility is part of the presentation.
- 5
Arrange fish and sides
Lay grilled mezashi across the center of the box, spanning rice and edge. Place salted green beans just below the fish. Spoon store-bought sakura denbu over the remaining open rice, filling the gap with pink flakes as in the film still.
- 6
Rest and serve
Leave the lid off 5–10 minutes so steam escapes — hot rice condenses and makes fish soggy. Close, pack, and serve at room temperature or slightly warm.
Pro tips
If umeboshi tastes too sharp, try honey-coated (hachimitsu) plums. For sakura denbu substitutes, salmon furikake or mentaiko furikake work well. Never swap umeboshi for cherry tomatoes on warm rice — tomatoes break down quickly and can spoil the box. Let the bento cool before sealing so steam does not sog the rice.
Storage & leftovers
Best eaten the same day, within a few hours at room temperature or refrigerated up to 24 hours. Do not microwave the umeboshi-topped rice section if you prefer crisp fish — reheat components separately or enjoy cold, as many Japanese bento are.
What to serve with
Green tea and Totoro on in the background — this lunch is built for a quiet afternoon under the camphor tree.
Equipment
All kitchen equipment guidesFAQ
Hinomaru means 'rising sun.' A single umeboshi placed in the center of white rice resembles the Japanese flag — a classic Showa-era packed lunch style.
