Japanese rice
Japanese rice is a short-grain variety of rice, also called japonica rice. Learn about different types of authentic Japanese rice and its recipes.
The are many different types of rice in Japan with the most commonly consumed being Koshihikari. However due to the different needs and uses of rice in Japan, several different varieties have been developed.
Hitomebore Hitomebore is a short-grain variety of Japanese rice developed from Koshihikari and bred in the Miyagi prefecture. Its name means “love at first sight” in Japanese, which has consequently seen it become the second most popular rice in Japan due to its frequent use in sushi or Japanese curry.
Musenmai Musenmai is one of the rice grains that has recently found popularity. It makes up around 10-20% of all rice consumption in Japan, this is mainly due to the fact that it allows all the husk and bran produced when rice is washed to be used as fertilizer.
Other types of rice grain from Japan include but are not limited to yamadanishiki (famous for its use in sake), brown (genmai) and germ rice (haigamai).
Rice from Japan
Rice is intensively cultivated in Japan despite the relatively small area of agricultural land, and imports are strictly regulated and subject to steep levies by the Japanese government to protect the domestic rice industry. The cost of domestically grown rice is also, on average, relatively high but this premium is widely accepted both as a reflection of its quality (compared to imported rice) and due to the importance of rice in Japanese culture as a whole. Although consumption has fallen by around 20% in as many years, rice still forms a staple part of the Japanese diet and the country is among the top ten rice producers in the world.
Rice in Japan
In Japan japonica rice is further categorised as uruchimai (ordinary rice) and mochigome (glutinous rice). Uruchimai is recognisable for its short to medium translucent grains and has a number of uses including sushi and sake, while the short, round, opaque grains of mochigome are usually used in desserts or soaked and ground into a paste to make mochi, the famous chewy and delicious rice cakes.
Japonica rice around the world
Japonica rice is grown all over the world, fuelled in part by the widespread popularity of Japanese cuisine. California is one of the largest growers of japonica rice outside of Japan, with Italy and Spain following close behind.
Medium-grain Calrose rice (and the similar Nishiki variety) is most common in California, while the plump Yume-Nishiki variety is regarded as the best of the European japonica rice offerings and is cultivated in Northern Italy. Arborio, one of the most famous varieties of rice grown in Italy, is a form of japonica rice and could at a push serve as Japanese rice – although this is not recommended by most Japanese chefs.