Onigirazu, an innovative take on the traditional onigiri rice ball, has been chosen as 2015's food item of the year after the sandwich-like dish became a sensation more than 20 years following its introduction in a manga series.

The Gurunavi Research Institute said Monday that onigirazu best represents the year 2015 because it enables many "creative and innovative" interpretations, thus "broadening the possibilities of rice dishes at a time when people continue to shun them (due to the westernization of Japanese cuisine)."

Onigirazu translates loosely as "not gripping," as opposed to "gripping" for onigiri.