Karahori Onigiri (Obimusu), an onigiri specialty shop in Osaka's Karahori Shopping Street, serves a monthly "Michelin Onigiri" made with fillings actually cooked by chefs from Michelin-starred restaurants. For November 2026, Chef Fujita (藤田晃成) of agnel d'or, a one-Michelin-star French restaurant in Awaza, Osaka, returns for the first time in about two years.
The onigiri he created is the Fondue Onigiri with Braised 恵鴨 Duck, Two-Year-Aged Potatoes, and Raclette Cheese. It combines braised dishes made with 恵鴨, a flavorful brand of duck from Aichi Prefecture, with two-year-aged potatoes that are high in sugar content and rich in flavor, then tops them with raclette cheese that is torched to finish.
The theme this time is "French home cooking in an onigiri." Chef Fujita took the kind of home-style dish that is eaten as a main course in France and reworked it into the onigiri familiar to Japanese diners.
So that the melted, toasty raclette cheese can be enjoyed while warm, the onigiri is served for eat-in only, with no takeout. It goes on sale on Friday, November 6, 2026, in limited quantities.
French Home Cooking in an Onigiri: 恵鴨, Two-Year-Aged Potatoes, and Raclette Cheese
The inspiration for this onigiri was a braised dish of the kind French families eat as a main course. Chef Fujita set out to bring its flavors and combination of ingredients into onigiri, a staple of Japanese food culture.
The star is 恵鴨, a brand of duck from Aichi Prefecture. What Chef Fujita particularly values about it is its strong umami. Made into a braise, the flavorful duck stays distinct even when paired with rice.
It is combined with two-year-aged potatoes. They are high in sugar content, and the potatoes' own umami comes through clearly, adding a gentle sweetness to the rich duck.
The finishing touch is raclette cheese. Raclette and potatoes are a popular, well-matched pairing in Europe, and Chef Fujita chose the cheese for that reason.
The strong umami of the duck, the sweetness of the aged potatoes, and the rich body of the raclette cheese come together in a single onigiri, combining ingredients familiar from French cooking.
Finished with a Final Torching: Melting Raclette Cheese Meets Rice
What defines this onigiri is the finishing step just before serving. Raclette cheese is placed on the onigiri filled with braised duck and two-year-aged potatoes, and the surface is torched with a burner.
The heated cheese slowly melts and spreads to wrap around the surface of the onigiri. The surface takes on a toasty browned finish, and the rich aroma of the cheese rises.
What stands out is how well the raclette cheese goes with the Obimusu rice. Cheese and rice bring risotto to mind for many people, and here too the richness of the raclette blends naturally with the sweetness of the rice, bringing out the flavors of the duck and potatoes.
Though it is an onigiri, it is as satisfying as a plate of French cuisine, combining the appeal of Japanese and Western food cultures.
To let diners enjoy the aroma and texture of the cheese right after it is torched, this onigiri is served for eat-in only and is not available for takeout.
Chef Fujita on the Challenge: "Bringing the Appeal of French Cuisine to Onigiri"
Chef Fujita commented on this collaboration as follows.
Last time I made an onigiri using rillettes, a French cooking technique. This time I wanted to make something that lets people enjoy the appeal of French cuisine in a different way.
The combination of braised duck, potatoes, and cheese is familiar in French cooking, but I think turning it into an onigiri makes it a completely different dish.
This time in particular, I value the step of torching the raclette cheese at the end. I want people to enjoy the umami of the braised dish and the toasty aroma of the cheese while it is warm.
Onigiri is a very familiar food for Japanese people, but I believe there are still new possibilities in combining it with the techniques and ideas of French cuisine.
I hope that even people who do not usually have the chance to visit agnel d'or will casually enjoy the fun of French cuisine.
About agnel d'or, a One-Michelin-Star Restaurant
agnel d'or is a French restaurant in Awaza, Osaka.
Owner-chef Fujita trained for about four and a half years in various parts of France, including Normandy, the Basque region, and Lyon, and opened his own restaurant in Osaka in 2013 after returning to Japan.
In 2017 the restaurant was fully renovated and evolved into a restaurant pursuing its own gastronomy. It also received one star in the 2026 Michelin Guide.
Building on solid French cooking techniques, Chef Fujita values Japanese ingredients, the seasons, and his connections with producers. While respecting traditional techniques, he creates original dishes that are not bound by existing conventions.
This collaboration is likewise a distinctive attempt by Chef Fujita to bring French culinary thinking into Japan's food culture of onigiri.
A Second Collaboration, About Two Years After the "Basque-Style Rillettes"
This is the first collaboration between Chef Fujita and Karahori Onigiri since November 2024, about two years ago.
Last time, as the fourth installment of the Michelin Onigiri project, the shop served the Platinum Pork and Smoked Paprika Basque-Style Rillettes Onigiri. Slow-braised Platinum Pork was combined with smoked paprika and tomato in a dish inspired by cooking from France's Basque region.
That time, the idea was to enjoy French rillettes as an onigiri filling. This time, Chef Fujita proposed a "fondue onigiri" made with braised duck and aged potatoes and finished by torching raclette cheese.
Moving from the rillettes of last time, this time the onigiri is a warm dish reminiscent of French home cooking. Although both were created by the same French chef, each reflects a different approach to cooking and a different way to enjoy it.
Cooked by the Chef Himself, Not Just Supervised: Monthly Michelin Onigiri
Since August 2024, Karahori Onigiri (Obimusu) has run a collaboration project with chefs from Michelin-starred restaurants, mainly in the Kansai region.
The defining feature of the project is that the chefs do not only devise and supervise the recipes but also cook the fillings themselves.
Chefs from a variety of genres, including Japanese, French, and Italian cuisine, take part, each putting their own skills and personality into a single onigiri.
The project began with the aim of bringing the appeal of dishes served at Michelin-starred restaurants closer to more people, and this edition is its 28th installment.
This time, the onigiri uses fillings actually cooked by Chef Fujita and is finished by torching raclette cheese inside the Obimusu shop.
Product Details
- Product name: Fondue Onigiri with Braised 恵鴨 Duck, Two-Year-Aged Potatoes, and Raclette Cheese
- Collaboration: Chef Fujita (藤田晃成) of French restaurant agnel d'or
- On sale from: Friday, November 6, 2026
- Price: 500 yen (tax included)
- Quantity: Limited to 100 pieces
- Where: Karahori Onigiri (Obimusu)
- Serving style: Eat-in only (no takeout)
The onigiri is limited in quantity and will end sales once sold out. The raclette cheese is torched just before serving.
Store Information
Karahori Onigiri (Obimusu)
- Address: Collection Karahori 1F, 6-14-17 Tanimachi, Chuo Ward, Osaka
- Phone: 070-4784-3482
- Hours: 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM (opens at 11:00 AM on Thursdays only)
- Closed: Irregular holidays
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karahori.onigiri/
Business hours and closing days may change. Check the official Instagram for the latest information.
