The name of scattered sushi with toppings over a bowl of sushi rice is chirashi. More fully called chirashizushi, it is a bowl-style sushi in which vinegared rice is topped or mixed with ingredients rather than wrapped in seaweed or shaped into rolls.
The Japanese word chirashi means “scattered,” describing the dish’s loose arrangement. Common toppings include raw fish, shrimp, eel, cooked vegetables, shiitake mushrooms, shredded omelet, and colorful garnishes. Recipes vary considerably by region and occasion.
Two broad regional styles are often discussed: Edomae chirashizushi, associated with Tokyo, usually presents uncooked seafood artistically on top; Kansai-style gomokuzushi mixes cooked or uncooked ingredients into the rice. Chirashizushi is also traditionally eaten during Hinamatsuri, Japan’s Doll Festival, in March.
Chirashi is easy to confuse with sashimi don, another rice bowl topped with seafood. The key distinction is that chirashi is specifically sushi: its rice is seasoned with vinegar. Sashimi itself contains no rice, while donburi is a wider category of Japanese rice bowls that need not involve sushi rice.