Manabu Asaoka, owner of Mana Musubi in McCully (originally Mana-Bu’s) first came to Hawaii to study intercultural communication at Hawaii Pacific University. He pondered how to make his own mark in sharing Japanese culture and realized his opportunity was in the popular rice balls he now produces daily.

Asaoka’s contribution is an engaging little paperback called “The Musubi Book.” But don’t let the cutesy cover fool you — it’s a comprehensive exploration of everything from the history of the musubi to assembling your own hand-held snack. In between are science lessons about rice, an exploration of fillings, plus recipes for mixed rice. Practical tips help readers up their musubi game.

Last week Asaoka answered a few questions from Japan via email.

QUESTION: In your biography in the book, you’re called a “musubi culture evangelist.” What is musubi culture? What makes musubi more than simply food?

ANSWER: On the surface, musubi is a Japanese-style rice dish. However, conceptually, musubi should also be regarded as an iconic homemade rice dish that reminds (people) of the handmade taste of their mom’s, grandma’s — or sometimes dad’s — cooking.

Musubi is very easy to make without special preparation, so everyone has numerous occasions when (they) enjoyed homemade … musubi in their childhood … especially for their bento lunches at school, field trips or picnics, weekend sporting events, and of course, their family outdoor parties and travels.

In this sense, musubi is not just a staple food to fill our stomach. Rather, it is … a symbolic item that represents the supportive, family-oriented Japanese culture very well.

Q: Is it correct to assume you eat musubi? If so, how long have you been eating it? Who made it for you? What is your favorite musubi, and why? How did your musubi journey evolve?

A: Of course I love to eat musubi!

Actually, it is totally impossible for me to tell you about my first encounter with musubi. (It’s like asking an American, “When did you eat pancakes for the first time?”) Most probably, my mom would have made my very first musubi. Since then, musubi has always been part of my daily life for 50 years, which is very common for a Japanese person. Japanese convenience stores alone sell more than 10 million pieces of musubi a day.

My absolute favorite musubi fillings are tuna-mayo and salmon. I first ate tuna-mayo musubi when I was (in) third or fourth grade, when canned tuna became common in Japan. Salmon musubi is very traditional, but when I was a kid, it was a bit expensive because of the availability where I lived. … So, salmon musubi was something I longed to have but couldn’t get often.

On the other hand, I hated ume (salted plum) musubi! The head coach of my soccer team at the elementary school was like a devil to me; he totally banned fancy selections of musubi fillings when we had games on the weekends. Only ume was allowed! Please imagine: The 10-year-old hungry boy bites into a musubi after the game, and inside is ume. … It was awful!

When I was a rookie “salary man” … one day I had a (terrible) hangover. (To recover) I had to eat something. I finally re-encountered ume musubi at the neighborhood convenience store. It was incredibly comforting … I felt totally refreshed! Since then, ume musubi (is on) my list of favorites.

(In) Hawaii, I encountered Spam musubi. … The combination of saltiness and sweetness, the shoyu and nori seaweed flavor combined with white rice was ideal. I noticed that there were many cooking methods and seasoning variations.

Musubi has definitely taken root in the islands in its own way. The Spam musubi phenomenon gives me great hope when I think about the possibility of spreading musubi all over the world.

Q: How did you come to decide that musubi would be central to your career?

A: When I was at HPU, I spent a long time considering what kind of Japanese casual- food business I should launch.

At the time, while Spam musubi was widely popular, the number of places offering … traditional musubi seemed to be shrinking. Many okazuya were forced to close down since so many of the younger generation weren’t continuing their family businesses.

Therefore, I decided to open my own musubi delicatessen, which strictly sticks to the standards of modern Japan. Customers really responded to the musubi, and they started lining up in front of our shop every day before we would open. It was, to be honest, very surprising for me.

Breathable and able to absorb excess water, this is the best choice of a wrapper. Another bonus: It doesn’t stick.

While an easy way to wrap the entire musubi, plastic isn’t the best choice. It’s too flimsy to be protective and seals in moisture, making for a soggy musubi.

A go-to in Japan, it is appreciated for its practicality and sturdiness. With foil, there’s no worry about crushing or breaking your musubi.

CURRY PILAF MIXED RICE

By Manabu Asaoka

• 1 cup raw rice
• Chicken stock or broth, as needed
• 3 tablespoons minced meat or small pieces of vegetables, or a mixture (optional)
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• Paprika, to taste
• Black, white or cayenne pepper, to taste

Add rice and broth or stock to rice cooker. The broth should be slightly saltier than that of a soup. If using mix-ins, add broth to just under the 1-cup line on the pot — liquid from meat and veggies will make up the difference.

Immediately after rice is cooked, transfer to a large bowl, sprinkle with curry powder, paprika and pepper; gently mix rice. Add more curry powder for a spicier pilaf.

Will make about 3 musubi.

Nutritional information unavailable.