How to choose a Japanese rice bowl
A Japanese rice bowl is one of the most used things in a kitchen: rice in the morning, a little soup at lunch, a small helping of something good in the evening. Because it is held in the hand and lifted towards you, size matters more than it seems. Here is a simple way to choose.
Start with what goes in it
Most rice bowls fall into a few sizes, and each suits a different kind of meal.
- About 10–11 cm across: a small rice bowl. Right for a child, or for a light appetite. Our Little Creatures Kids’ Rice Bowl is 10.3 cm and holds about 275 ml.
- About 11–13 cm: the everyday rice bowl. This is the bowl most people in Japan use for a daily serving of rice or miso soup. The swallow rice bowls are 11 cm, the pressed flower rice bowl 11.2 cm, the Mt. Fuji rice bowl 12–13 cm, and the Tokusa Stripe Rice Bowl 13 cm.
- About 15–19 cm: a donburi. A deep bowl for a one-bowl meal: rice with something on top, like a rice bowl of chicken and egg, or curry. The Pine & Plum Donburi Bowl is 19 cm across.
- About 21 cm and up: a noodle bowl. Wide and deep enough for ramen, udon or soba with their broth. The Great Wave Ramen Bowl is 21 cm.
Hold it before you choose
A good rice bowl sits comfortably in one palm, with your thumb resting on the rim. Many have a small foot underneath, which keeps your fingers away from the heat and lets the bowl stand steady on the table. If you like a fuller bowl of rice, or you share your bowls with someone who does, go a size up.
One each, or a pair
In many Japanese homes, everyone has a rice bowl of their own. A pair makes an easy start, or a thoughtful gift: the Mt. Fuji Bowl Pair, one green and one red, and the swallow rice bowls both come as two.
Whatever you choose, every bowl in our shop is made in Japan and safe in the dishwasher and microwave. You will find them all under Bowls.