Morioka's Tanabata Festival and Three-Color Rice Balls [Midsummer Iwate Rice Ball Hunting Trip 1]

[1586th Rice Ball] Cocorusk (Morioka) Three-Color Rice Balls
<<2586th Consecutive Day>>

I am continuing my journey to visit rice balls all across Japan.

Searching for rice balls in the summer is incredibly hot.
Walking under the scorching sun, sweating.
The rice balls I find amidst that are truly precious.

As I passed through the ticket gate at Morioka Station, a clear blue sky spread out before me.
Alright. The midsummer Iwate rice ball hunting trip begins.

I cross the Nakatsu River, heading from the station toward the city center.

The grass along the riverbank grew lush and green, and a narrow stream sparkled as it ran through the middle. Buildings lined the opposite bank, and further beyond them, the faint ridgeline of the mountains was visible.

The city, the river, and the mountains. Everything is captured within a single picture.

I don't know much about the city of Morioka yet. However, just by standing on this bridge, I felt like I understood it a little bit.

Crossing the bridge, the sunlight became scorching. It seems the temperature is over 35 degrees Celsius. Wiping away sweat, my feet still move forward. Since I came to find rice balls, I have no choice but to walk.

After walking for a while, I saw the entrance to an arcade.
It is the Sakanacho Shopping Street, where the Tanabata Festival is being held.

It seems that Morioka's Tanabata Festival, like in Sendai and other places, is held in August.

Colorful streamers hang from the ceiling from one end to the other. It seems these streamers are the main attraction of Morioka's Tanabata Festival.

There is a lot of foot traffic, and it is very lively.
There is a decoration that made me stop in my tracks as I was walking.

It's a soccer goal. There's a player taking a shot, and a goalkeeper diving sideways to stop the ball. Below, the pitch is recreated with green streamers.
The red uniform looks a bit like Urawa Reds.

As I was walking along looking up at the decorations, I saw a blue sign in my line of sight.

It seems they also sell local vegetables and such. Let's take a peek.
Maybe they even have rice balls. Haha.

Bingo!!!

They really had rice balls!!!

Next to the corner selling side dishes and bento boxes.
On a red tray, handmade rice balls are lined up.

There's spicy cod roe, sesame, and even salmon roe.

Behind them, there was something clearly a different size.

Three-color rice ball.

When I pick it up, it's heavy.
It's perfectly round and large. Even through the bag, I can see things rolling around inside the white rice.

It seems to be a large rice ball containing three ingredients.
This looks fun.

I looked at the manufacturer section written on the back of the rice ball and thought, 'Oh?'

Coco Rusk.

Looking it up, it seems to be a shop that used to make Western-style confectionery. It's all a bit mysterious.

Since I'm here, I decided to eat right underneath where the three-colored streamers are hanging in a row.

Eating three-colored rice balls under three-colored decorations. It's a silly obsession, but perhaps travel exists for moments like this.

When I opened the bag, the aroma of nori seaweed and the sweet and salty scent of tsukudani wafted up.

Right then, time to dig in!

Chomp.

Oh.

First, what surprised me was how light it was. Even though it felt so heavy in my hand, it fluffed up and fell apart in my mouth. It wasn't squeezed tightly. The Hitomebore rice from Shiwa Town, with each grain standing tall, crumbled away gently.

Then, the three flavors arrived one after another.

First was the kelp tsukudani. After a chewy texture, a sweet and salty flavor spread out. It's a foolproof companion for rice.

Next was the daikon radish nanban-zuke. Crunch. The texture changed suddenly here. The acidity and a hint of spiciness. This worked wonders on my body after walking in the height of summer.

Finally, the ginger miso pickle. The sharp scent of ginger and the rich miso quietly brought the flavors to a close in my mouth.

Sweet, sour, savory. The scenery changes with every bite, so even though it's large, I never get tired of it. Looking up, the streamers fill the space above me. The paper flowers are swaying slowly in the breeze.

Delicious. This is, without a doubt, delicious.

The reason rice balls taste so good when traveling is probably not just because of the rice or the fillings. It's because it's a single one that I finally reached after walking, looking, and getting lost. And behind that one, there is always someone's hand.

The fluffy three-colored rice balls I ate under the Morioka Tanabata Festival. It was the best start to a trip.

Thank you for the meal!

I talked a lot about what I've written on note at a lecture in Iwaizumi Town, Iwate Prefecture.

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