While I lived in Japan, I would often buy little packets of seasoning that were carried in every supermarket. I believe their purpose was for seasoning things like fried rice (チャーハン) and rice balls (お握り). What are these packets called, and is there an easy way to buy them in America? Or better yet, does anyone know how to make them?
The packets were typically salty and had bits of colorful seasoning/particles in it, like nori (海苔) flakes, sesame seeds, spices, etc.
I've eaten a few of these before and while it sounds like furikake to someone who hasn't had them, I don't think that's what you're looking for in this case. Furikake is primarily used for seasoning white rice to be eaten otherwise plain, but I'm almost sure you're looking for something like this:
(from http://jpninfo.com/22660)
I don't think there's a special Japanese name for these seasoning packets and the front just says "Shrimp Fried Rice", "Salmon Fried Rice", "Crab-flavored Fried Rice" and so forth. I would call it a seasoning packet, much like I would for taco seasoning. I wouldn't be surprised to hear a Japanese person call them paketto or something similar loanword-y.
I think it's called furikake. Per Wikipedia:
Furikake is a dry Japanese seasoning meant to be sprinkled on top of cooked rice, vegetables, and fish. It typically consists of a mixture of dried fish, sesame seeds, chopped seaweed, sugar, salt, and monosodium glutamate.
