Japanese rice is of the 'Japonica' variety

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 There are three types of rice: indica, japonica and javanica.
The japonica variety is the type of rice eaten in Japan. 15% of the world's rice is of the japonica variety.

 

The characteristic of the japonica variety is that when it is cooked, it contains a lot of water, so it becomes soft and sticky.
If you chew it well, it becomes sweet.
It can be eaten cold, so it is good for onigiri, bento and sushi.
Japanese food has developed to be delicious when eaten with rice.
Japanese food culture has a deep relationship with japonica rice.


 It is said that there are over 200 varieties of japonica rice in Japan.
There are many types of rice, with different prices and origins, but I think that each type is delicious.

The cultivation of japonica rice began in China around 10,000 years ago, and it spread throughout Asia.
It is said that rice was introduced to Japan around 4,000 years ago.

80% of the world's rice is of the indica variety. 15% is of the japonica variety, and a small amount is of the javica variety.
Furthermore, each type of rice has its own variety, and if you were to classify them in detail, there are over 1000 varieties in total.
Indica rice is suited to dishes that are seasoned, such as pilaf and curry (not Japanese-style).


If you come to Japan, please also pay attention to the rice paddies.
You can see rice paddies all over Japan.
Water is let into the rice paddies. For this reason, the waterways have a slight gradient.
The waterways are very precisely designed, and they are 1,000 to 10,000 meters long, with a drop of one meter.
I am amazed by the technological skill of the rice paddies.



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