Where can I buy Japanese Rice?
May 23, 2013 6:51 PM Subscribe
Someone who lived in Japan told me that rice grown in Japan is amazing. I would love to buy real Japanese grown rice, but all I can find is California grown Japanese style rice.
I assume I'll have to buy the rice online, and that it will be very expensive.
I assume I'll have to buy the rice online, and that it will be very expensive.
I think this is going to be really difficult. There are pretty high tariffs on imported rice in Japan and Japan doesn't actually produce very much, so I can imagine they don't export much either.
NY Times - Japanese Consumers Reconsidering Rice Loyalty
The Wiki article on Japanese rice has the Japanese names and characters that might help you with a Google search, but my quick attempt to find an online seller was fruitless.
posted by elsietheeel at 7:42 PM on May 23, 2013
NY Times - Japanese Consumers Reconsidering Rice Loyalty
The Wiki article on Japanese rice has the Japanese names and characters that might help you with a Google search, but my quick attempt to find an online seller was fruitless.
posted by elsietheeel at 7:42 PM on May 23, 2013
We live on the West Coast in a small city with a very large number of Japanese families (where she's from Japan and he's from Canada), and we even have two really good Japanese convenience stores here.
That said, even with these two amazing convenience stores, it's very very difficult to get Japanese-grown rice. Some came in recently, but it cost about twice as much as American-grown rice (and twice as much as the rice would have cost in Japan).
On top of that, just because the rice is grown in Japan doesn't mean it's going to taste great. There are different varieties of rice, and (in my humble opinion) some are better than others.
It also matters what time of year it is. In Japan, the rice harvest is in early September, and so rice tastes best during the autumn months, when it is freshly harvested.
So we're almost in June, near the end of the end of the 12 month cycle of rice - indeed, rice was planted just a couple of weeks ago at the beginning of May - so whatever Japanese rice you're going to buy in the States is going to be stale.
Rice is also typically polished before being sold, and this makes it go stale more quickly.
And, if mikan / Mandarin oranges are anything to go by, Japan often exports its lousiest crops, saving the cream of the crop so to speak for its domestic market. It's hard to say what kind of quality you're going to get in the States.
We never, ever, ever, ever buy rice at the supermarket. We go to the Japanese convenience store buy American rice grown in California and Texas, usually Koshihikari from Nishimoto, but also from Tamaki.
If you're hell-bent on buying from Japan, koshihikari from Niigata is okay.
I say it's just okay because it's Fukui Prefecture, not Niigata, that is the home of koshihikari, and I lived in Fukui for many, many years. It would be unthinkable for me in Japan to buy rice from any prefercture but Fukui, and, on top of that, we lived in a farming community, and got 50kg sacks of unpolished rice as gifts from farmer neighbours each fall.
posted by KokuRyu at 7:47 PM on May 23, 2013 [11 favorites]
That said, even with these two amazing convenience stores, it's very very difficult to get Japanese-grown rice. Some came in recently, but it cost about twice as much as American-grown rice (and twice as much as the rice would have cost in Japan).
On top of that, just because the rice is grown in Japan doesn't mean it's going to taste great. There are different varieties of rice, and (in my humble opinion) some are better than others.
It also matters what time of year it is. In Japan, the rice harvest is in early September, and so rice tastes best during the autumn months, when it is freshly harvested.
So we're almost in June, near the end of the end of the 12 month cycle of rice - indeed, rice was planted just a couple of weeks ago at the beginning of May - so whatever Japanese rice you're going to buy in the States is going to be stale.
Rice is also typically polished before being sold, and this makes it go stale more quickly.
And, if mikan / Mandarin oranges are anything to go by, Japan often exports its lousiest crops, saving the cream of the crop so to speak for its domestic market. It's hard to say what kind of quality you're going to get in the States.
We never, ever, ever, ever buy rice at the supermarket. We go to the Japanese convenience store buy American rice grown in California and Texas, usually Koshihikari from Nishimoto, but also from Tamaki.
If you're hell-bent on buying from Japan, koshihikari from Niigata is okay.
I say it's just okay because it's Fukui Prefecture, not Niigata, that is the home of koshihikari, and I lived in Fukui for many, many years. It would be unthinkable for me in Japan to buy rice from any prefercture but Fukui, and, on top of that, we lived in a farming community, and got 50kg sacks of unpolished rice as gifts from farmer neighbours each fall.
posted by KokuRyu at 7:47 PM on May 23, 2013 [11 favorites]
Someone who lived in Japan told me that rice grown in Japan is amazing.
Yes, the Japanese like to go on about this and how Niigata rice is best or some other prefecture's rice is the best. I have eaten a lot of Japanese-grown rice in Japan, and I can tell you than I cannot detect a difference at all.
That being said, I think it is going to be very hard to buy Japan-grown rice. Rice production is heavily subsidized in Japan. The government buys the surplus and then stores it. I have seen one of these warehouses. I was amazed. To my knowledge, Japanese does not export rice.
The flip side is that Japan bans the import of rice. There is essentially a rice blockade around Japan - no rice gets in and almost none gets out. The end result of is that rice is Japan is ridiculously expensive.
Unless you can get someone to bring you back a bag of rice from Japan, I do not see how you will achieve this goal. And again, I simply think there is no difference. Mrs. Tanizaki is Japanese, and we just use California rice.
posted by Tanizaki at 7:49 PM on May 23, 2013 [1 favorite]
Yes, the Japanese like to go on about this and how Niigata rice is best or some other prefecture's rice is the best. I have eaten a lot of Japanese-grown rice in Japan, and I can tell you than I cannot detect a difference at all.
That being said, I think it is going to be very hard to buy Japan-grown rice. Rice production is heavily subsidized in Japan. The government buys the surplus and then stores it. I have seen one of these warehouses. I was amazed. To my knowledge, Japanese does not export rice.
The flip side is that Japan bans the import of rice. There is essentially a rice blockade around Japan - no rice gets in and almost none gets out. The end result of is that rice is Japan is ridiculously expensive.
Unless you can get someone to bring you back a bag of rice from Japan, I do not see how you will achieve this goal. And again, I simply think there is no difference. Mrs. Tanizaki is Japanese, and we just use California rice.
posted by Tanizaki at 7:49 PM on May 23, 2013 [1 favorite]
I have eaten a lot of Japanese-grown rice in Japan, and I can tell you than I cannot detect a difference at all.
The rice sold in the big cities also sucks. There are advantages to living in rural Japan.
posted by KokuRyu at 7:49 PM on May 23, 2013
The rice sold in the big cities also sucks. There are advantages to living in rural Japan.
posted by KokuRyu at 7:49 PM on May 23, 2013
I follow a lot of bento blogs and last year one of them did an article about visiting a rice grower in mainland USA that polished rice to order. Apparently it was the most amazing rice she'd had since living in Japan.
Unfortunately, I cannot locate the original article as I cannot remember which darn blog it was on. Perhaps the hive mind can locate it for you? Failing that, the same bento blogs say that Japanese-grown rice can sometimes be found at Whole Foods, so there's that as a backup.
posted by ninazer0 at 7:57 PM on May 23, 2013
Unfortunately, I cannot locate the original article as I cannot remember which darn blog it was on. Perhaps the hive mind can locate it for you? Failing that, the same bento blogs say that Japanese-grown rice can sometimes be found at Whole Foods, so there's that as a backup.
posted by ninazer0 at 7:57 PM on May 23, 2013
The rice sold in the big cities also sucks. There are advantages to living in rural Japan.
That may be true. I lived in a cattle-raising town, so I have little experience with it. It may very well be the case that my palate cannot detect the difference. Despite the wow-ing over Niigata and such, I do not think many Japanese could pass the Pepsi challenge with it. I think it is like nihonjinron except on a prefectural scale.
I am surprised to find Niigata rice on Amazon. Quite costly.
Gregr, I will be in Japan next month. If you can wait a little while, I could see about bringing you a small bag of 2kg or so. There is a risk that customs might snatch it because they are afraid of bugs, but they have never cracked my bags open.
posted by Tanizaki at 8:09 PM on May 23, 2013 [2 favorites]
That may be true. I lived in a cattle-raising town, so I have little experience with it. It may very well be the case that my palate cannot detect the difference. Despite the wow-ing over Niigata and such, I do not think many Japanese could pass the Pepsi challenge with it. I think it is like nihonjinron except on a prefectural scale.
I am surprised to find Niigata rice on Amazon. Quite costly.
Gregr, I will be in Japan next month. If you can wait a little while, I could see about bringing you a small bag of 2kg or so. There is a risk that customs might snatch it because they are afraid of bugs, but they have never cracked my bags open.
posted by Tanizaki at 8:09 PM on May 23, 2013 [2 favorites]
This isn't a substitute for Japanese-grown rice exactly, but for more 'authentically' Japanese-style rice you should wash before cooking. It helps rid the rice of excess starch, and is de rigeur in a Japanese kitchen. (I never let it drain for thirty minutes because I'd have to remember to start dinner that much earlier, but I aspire to try it someday! For basmati, you should soak after rinsing.)
(BTW, Japanese-grown rice is commonly found to have higher-than-allowable levels of cesium and other radioisotopes these days (NY Times, Fukushima Diary, 3).)
posted by tapir-whorf at 8:54 PM on May 23, 2013 [1 favorite]
(BTW, Japanese-grown rice is commonly found to have higher-than-allowable levels of cesium and other radioisotopes these days (NY Times, Fukushima Diary, 3).)
posted by tapir-whorf at 8:54 PM on May 23, 2013 [1 favorite]
Tanizaki has it on all counts, including the overhyping and extreme protectionism of the product itself.
posted by Joseph Gurl at 10:35 PM on May 23, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by Joseph Gurl at 10:35 PM on May 23, 2013 [1 favorite]
Nthing the "Japan is unique and everything from Japan is better because Japan" aspect to the rice thing. American varieties of Japanese rice pass taste tests.
I've had top-flight rice here. I've ha crap. You can taste the crap rice, and how bad it is. The good rice? It tastes like rice.
posted by Ghidorah at 3:28 AM on May 24, 2013 [2 favorites]
I've had top-flight rice here. I've ha crap. You can taste the crap rice, and how bad it is. The good rice? It tastes like rice.
posted by Ghidorah at 3:28 AM on May 24, 2013 [2 favorites]
I have eaten a lot of Japanese-grown rice in Japan, and I can tell you than I cannot detect a difference at all.
Same here. Once I read of a blind taste-test of rice held in Asia and the winner was either American or Thai rice, can't recall which, but the Japanese didn't fare so well.
posted by Rash at 8:11 AM on May 24, 2013
Same here. Once I read of a blind taste-test of rice held in Asia and the winner was either American or Thai rice, can't recall which, but the Japanese didn't fare so well.
posted by Rash at 8:11 AM on May 24, 2013
If you insist there is no difference between rice grown in various parts of Japan, one reason might be because the rice sold in the big city, where most foreigners live, is polished and then packaged. In regional Japan it's pretty common to buy unpolished rice, and make a weekly trek to the rice polishing machine. This keeps the taste longer.
One of the great things about living where I did was it was very easy to eat a "hundred mile diet", and most of what we consumed (including booze) was produced within a 50 kilometer radius.
The food in the big cities is terrible compared to regional Japan, which is why some folks in this thread may not be able to detect a difference in quality.
posted by KokuRyu at 11:23 AM on May 24, 2013
One of the great things about living where I did was it was very easy to eat a "hundred mile diet", and most of what we consumed (including booze) was produced within a 50 kilometer radius.
The food in the big cities is terrible compared to regional Japan, which is why some folks in this thread may not be able to detect a difference in quality.
posted by KokuRyu at 11:23 AM on May 24, 2013
1) Echoing others that standard Californian koshihikari tastes no different from standard Japanese koshihikari.
2) In addition to the comments about country-fresh, any differences also probably have to do with better preparation.
3) If you really want some, go to a Chinese grocery store (there should be one in a big city near you). I live in the SF Bay Area, so it's extremely easy to buy Japanese rice, but I've seen it at other large Asian supermarkets outside the Bay Area.
4) P. S. to tapir-whorf: Rice FROM SOME AREAS NEAR FUKUSHIMA is not the same as "Japanese-grown rice is commonly found to..." Please do not fearmonger. (You might as well claim that American rice has higher-than-idea levels of arsenic.*)
*In case that was too subtle: it's Mississipi River-area rice with the problem. Californian rice, for example, is OK.
posted by wintersweet at 12:53 PM on May 24, 2013
2) In addition to the comments about country-fresh, any differences also probably have to do with better preparation.
3) If you really want some, go to a Chinese grocery store (there should be one in a big city near you). I live in the SF Bay Area, so it's extremely easy to buy Japanese rice, but I've seen it at other large Asian supermarkets outside the Bay Area.
4) P. S. to tapir-whorf: Rice FROM SOME AREAS NEAR FUKUSHIMA is not the same as "Japanese-grown rice is commonly found to..." Please do not fearmonger. (You might as well claim that American rice has higher-than-idea levels of arsenic.*)
*In case that was too subtle: it's Mississipi River-area rice with the problem. Californian rice, for example, is OK.
posted by wintersweet at 12:53 PM on May 24, 2013
Wintersweet: the problem with your comparison is that Honshu is a much smaller place than the United States. For example, the Fukushima nuclear disaster site is 100 miles from the capital of Niigata (mentioned multiple times in this post as a place known for especially good rice). The risks one chooses to take are up to them, of course, but I don't think it's fearmongering; the Japanese government has repeatedly attempted to cover up radiation levels in food coming from all over Honshu, and recently raised the allowed level of radiation in rice, as mentioned in one of those articles above. How much cesium you want to risk ingesting for a delicious rice bowl is up to you, but it's worth actually having access to information in the first place in order to make an informed choice.
posted by tapir-whorf at 9:14 PM on May 26, 2013
posted by tapir-whorf at 9:14 PM on May 26, 2013
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