Its main line of business is commissions for advanced micromachining. Kumakura, located in Ota Ward, Tokyo, is a small-scale factory proud of its precision parts machining technology. These were the difficulties that the Kumakura Corporation’s technology helped to overcome. Nori is also a delicate natural ingredient, which will break off into irregular sized pieces if too much force is applied. If the nori is wet or damp it tends to stick like glue, and when powdered nori scatters and clings to the tool making the holes, it dulls the cutting edge. In reality it is not an easy task to create uniformly-sized holes in a split second during the manufacturing process.
It is these holes- which must be of the right size, shape and spacing-that changed the flavor of convenience store nori and added the extra value. Behind these improvements lies a surprising technology.Ĭonvenience store nori is perforated by countless holes so small you wouldn’t notice just by looking. The nori became easier to bite off, had a better feel in the mouth and tasted better, too. But from around 2000 onwards there was a dramatic improvement in the quality of these store-bought rice balls thanks to revolutionary changes in the nori used to make them. In the past, the nori used for convenience store rice balls was poor quality and noticeably tough. A handful of rice is shaped into a ball with a mouthful of filling in the center, and wrapped in nori to hold it all together. Rice balls are a convenient meal, the Japanese equivalent of sandwiches. Over the last ten years, rice balls purchased at convenience stores have increasingly become a regular part of the modern Japanese consumer's diet. The machines may be slightly more expensive than those of other companies, but many customers come back. There are also machines that not only cut nori into strips, but also have pattern cutters to make hearts, maple leaves or various other shapes as well. There are machines to cut nori for sushi rolls, flavored nori, gunkanmaki (“warship rolls”), crumbled nori and shredded nori, amongst others. Almost all major nori producers in Japan use Kumakura machines to cut nori.
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