While Tomoki Nagashima’s change of course may seem unusual, he says his basic principles have remained unchanged, asahi.com writes.
“I always wanted to do work related to people’s welfare and lives,” the 41-year-old doctor said. “Health care and onigiri are the means I use to do that.”
Nagashima’s rice ball department opened in September in a corner of a Japanese grocery store in downtown Chisinau.
It offers six options, including onigiri with tuna and mayonnaise, as well as Japanese pickled plums, which are a common ingredient in Japan. Nagashima’s onigiri are generously filled with stuffing, and prices start at 45 lei (410 yen, or $2.54) apiece.
They’re noticeably larger than the rice balls sold in Japanese convenience stores and are packaged in wrappers commonly used for burgers, so those who aren’t used to eating onigiri quickly won’t lose a gram of rice.
Japanese fast food adapted to the Moldovan market
Salmon with cream cheese is the most popular option, adapted to local tastes.
An Asahi Shimbun reporter who interviewed Nagashima found that cream cheese, rarely combined with rice in Japan, goes well with onigiri sprinkled with furikake seasoning; similarly, sushi rolls with cream cheese in the filling are standard fusion cuisine abroad.
Nagashima said he turned his attention to onigiri because he believed it had the potential to become a popular option for a quick snack, noting that Paris is also seeing a boom in onigiri that is spreading to other parts of Europe.
Onigiri can be ideal for business people who are short on time, as they do not require cutlery and can be eaten with one hand.
“I’m just offering a new lunch option, and it’s in frenzied demand,” Nagashima said.
It’s also the doctor’s way
Nagashima was prompted to start his own small business in Moldova by doubts. After working for four years at a center to help Ukrainian refugees, Nagashima himself began to question the donation- and grant-based grant programs. He thought that, in his opinion, excessive medical aid could, in a sense, create competition with local hospitals and pharmacies, which would hinder healthy economic development.
This, combined with a growing admiration for the Moldovans’ hard-working and laid-back national character, prompted Nagasima to start his own business in the country; his goal was to create new value, create jobs, and improve people’s lives.
Although he initially wanted to get into the health care business, he found that it was not easy for foreigners to enter this market, and this led him to the idea of onigiri.
Rather than having staff shape them by hand, as is common in Japanese stores, the rice balls are made using molds, simplifying the process and providing an attractive uniformity in social media advertising.
Nagashima also sells homemade “taiyaki” (fish-shaped cakes) with chocolate or matcha cream fillings.
The store averages just under 100 customers a day and has been operating at a plus since opening.
“Onigiri are quick to prepare and healthy,” says a 29-year-old woman, a regular customer, adding, “And they energize me to work through the evening.”
Nagashima said his next goal is to open another branch in Moldova. He also does not rule out expanding his business to neighboring Ukraine.
