Toyama Rice

Toyama sits between the Sea of Japan and four directions of mountains, with rivers carrying mineral-rich snowmelt through flat, fertile plains, making it one of Japan's prime rice-growing regions. Around Tateyama, where those rivers begin, rice shows up in every form. Hikers pick up onigiri at shops near Tateyama Station, often wrapped in the local style of tororo kombu, a vinegared kelp shredded into soft threads. One shop, Aoki, also serves a novelty lava curry, where Toyama rice is shaped into volcanic landforms and drenched in curry sauce, a dish created with input from the nearby Tateyama Caldera Sabo Museum.