love this thread couple of points:

1. I turn co-workers on to tamago all the time, they just never think it's anything special. They have no idea how complex a Japanese omelette is until they try it. You can literally order it in any western Sushi-bar.
2. Even without the omelette, a bowl of steamed sushi-grade rice topped with room temperature ketchup and furikake (ground seaweed) is a delicious breakfast.
3. if you want to get at the root of home-style Japanese cuisine, get yourself a cast-iron dutch-oven and learn to make Okayu (congee; rice porridge). Start with just salt and ketchup before experimenting with real toppings (pickled radish, green onion, and/or pickled fish).
   take pleasure in how far you've come

There are usually two variants: with either ketchup, or demiglace sauce. Naturally the kids prefer ketchup.

Would just like to point out that a lot of places serve omrice with or without ketchup. And some restraunts specialise and that's the main dish, I have a very posh coffee shop/omrice place round the corner from my house.
Or maybe it's just 'cos I live out in the country, perhaps Tokyo doesn't sell omrice??
And yeah, I think that was ketchup in the rice.

I want to make this but what did he put in the rice? Was it ketchup?
Did you ever notice that people who believe in creationism look realy un-evolved? - Bill Hicks

You might also see it "omuraisu".

isn't it spelled omurice?

There are Omurice shops everywhere in Japan. You will have no trouble getting some. I don't like the dish; it goes right through me.

Not usually, but you can find it in many Japanese "family restaurants" - children just love it! There is also a little bistro in Hiroo that serves Japanese homecooking; they do Omrice.

nope, rice omelette w/ ketchup is considered homestyle Japanese cooking.
your best bet is to order donburi or tamago. many Japanese Resturants in "The West" have these staples on the menu. tamago dipped in ketchup will be identical, in taste (save the nori), to the Tampopo rice omelette.

It looks so good! Is it something you would find in a Japanese restaurant?

It gave me memories of sneaking into the kitchen in the middle of the night when I was a kid and cooking up the same thing!

agree, that omlette looked so easy to make and so wonderful. how he places the eggs on the rice and splits it open to reveal the soft insides is very sexy and comforting at the same time. The details are what made this a great movie!