Konbini Kinyoubi: BIG Shrimp Rice Crackers

Welcome to Konbini Kinyoubi, where every Friday (Kinyoubi) we visit our local convenience store (Konbini) and buy something delicious. This post contains affiliate links. For more information, please read our affiliate disclosure.

A popular tea-time snack in Japan is osenbei rice crackers. There are all kinds of flavors and styles, but most of them are puffy, crunchy rice treats with the texture of… I don’t know, Cheetos? There are some that taste like plain rice, but many are flavored like fish. A fish-flavored snack might seem strange to Western taste buds, but after you’ve tried them a few times, you’ll come back for more.

Senbei are a big part of Japanese culture, and there are as many varieties as you can think of. In fact, the word senbei can kind of get thrown around in the same way “cookie’ is in America, referring to a lot of different types of treats, even those not enjoyed by humans. Over the years in Japan, I’ve tried a lot of senbei. In fact, I think I’ve tried just about every-OH MY GORB WHAT IS THAT?

While strolling through Family Mart, I came upon these big size shrimp crackers, and oh my, are they ever big. Normally, in a package this size, you’d get several dozen crackers about the size of a 50-cent piece. In this bag there are six that are the size of Frisbees. I knew I had to bring them home to show Eriko, who informed me that she’d seen crackers this size before. That didn’t lessen my astonishment. I mean, look at these bad boys!

It’s as big as the plate! So biiiiiiiiig!

Okay, so we’ve established that they are indeed large. But how did they taste?

While some senbei are puffy like rice cakes or really crunchy like cookies, these were flat and thin, like giant shrimp-flavored communion wafers made from a really big Jesus. The snap upon breaking them was satisfying, but I usually like the puffier senbei because I’m a wimp.

I know the idea of a shrimp-flavored snack sounds weird and is weird. As with every time I try a fish-flavored Japanese snack, I was a little weirded out by the fact that it genuinely does taste like seafood. However, the saltiness and the refreshing crunch are definitely satisfying. Eating one of these might be tough for foreigners, but once you’ve gotten over the initial strangeness, they’re quite good. Overall, not my favorite snack ever and I probably won’t get it again, but worth a try. 15/10 don’t be afraid America fish snacks are pretty good.

Sadly, biiiiiig rice crackers aren’t available in America, but you can still try other senbei! Do it! They’re good!