This has been a fun/interesting ordeal to watch from far away, though I think people in Japan are feeling a lot of pain right now.
In Hawaii we get a lot of imported Japanese rice mainly due to prevalence of Japanese daily groceries here. The typical grocery store (eg donki) carries more than a few strains of rice - koshihikari, hitomebore, nanatsuboshi, hatsushimo, etc. These make a noticeable difference for your spam musubi's, but especially for sushi. We usually rotate between whatever's the cheapest Japanese imported rice, around $30-40 for ~15lbs, but I would say most people here eat Japanese rice.
At the start of the War on Trade, we noticed marginal price increases on Japanese rice, but especially noticed steep discounts on California calrose, like $15 for 25lbs, which to me felt insane. The local specialty rice store just had to issue a price increase notice last week (https://the-rice-factory-honolulu.square.site), though this seems like it's more the rice shortage than tariffs.
Thoughts and prayers though to the Japanese who will have to eat South Korean rice, once the national reserve stock dwindles. Hope they make it through this struggle period.
daedrdev · 1h ago
Some ammounts of hitomebore and koshihikari are produced in the US, I noticed that in Hmart you see product of USA under the same brand as the Japanese rice sometimes (especially recently) Calrose is a japonica rice though obviously produced mainly in California
No comments yet
kondro · 1h ago
The fact the average Japanese person won't even consider trying imported Japonica rice from Australia or USA is madness if budget is a consideration.
But as someone who's tried many varieties of Japonica, there is a difference between the best Japan-grown rice and non-speciality rice grown elsewhere, as well as a difference between fresh (Japanese enjoy eating new rice, which is different from many rice-eating cultures) and old rice.
I pay somewhere around AUD$14/kg for Japanese rice in Australia, but I also don't eat it that often and I'm not that price sensitive.
But also, the average Japanese eats around 1kg of uncooked rice per week. That's ¥800 at the rates in the article (~USD$300/year). Japan's cost of living is generally pretty low, but I doubt +/- $100/year is effecting many people.
balanced2 · 1h ago
From what I've seen at the supermarket, cal-rose, rice from California does sell out and get restocked with reasonable quantity. While I can't be sure it's "average Japanese people" buying it I see no reason to believe otherwise. It's been shown on TV a few times too, the sure-fire average marketing in Japan.
creakingstairs · 1h ago
At least for supermarkets around me they _only_ sell Japanese rice. You’d have to buy online or drive out which doesn’t work for vast majority of old population.
Also as an East Asian I can somewhat understand reluctance to change rice. It’s just such a staple in your daily life. If I had eaten one type of rice for my entire life (and the price of the rice has remained stable for the last 40 years) and suddenly I can’t afford that type of rice, it would be a shock.
kondro · 55m ago
There are so many restaurants that talk about using the best rice in Japan.
On asking them where it comes from and it's always either local to the restaurant, or to the prefecture the owner grew up in.
There's a lot of local patriotism for rice in Japan, I even find it admirable most of the time.
Rice price is obviously important and probably linked pretty highly with inflation numbers in Japan. It's price is currently being artificially manipulated higher by JA, and that sucks. But I think ultimately most of these articles and even the local discourse with other Japanese is just a socially acceptable topic to grumble about.
balanced2 · 53m ago
I think it's only Aeon that is pushing imported rice. While I see them prop up everywhere lately, indeed if none in the area I guess it's not readily available. Where it is though it doesn't seem unpopular, at least it isn't stuck on shelves. When I first saw it disappear, I thought it may have been a failed experiment but was happy to see it restocked.
rtpg · 46m ago
> I pay somewhere around AUD$14/kg for Japanese rice in Australia
a 10kg bag of (AU-grown) koshihikari at Hanaromart (some Asian supermarket) is around 43 AUD right now IIRC. Could I tell the difference in blind tasting between it and just "normal" koshihikari off the shelf off a Japanese supermarket? Maybe, but maybe not. Not an argument for removing trade barriers, but the gap right now seems pretty stark.
I do feel like it's worth thinking about how you're saying 800 yen, but that might be per person. So for a 3-person family that's almost ~120k JPY per year. If you could cut that down to 90k JPY per year thats an extra 2500 JPY per month you can spend on food.
If you're the kind of person who only goes to the discount shops, an extra 2500 JPY per month can go a decent way on food. If you are on a pretty strict/limited food budget that 2500 JPY could go a long way.
Though of course like with eggs, etc, all food prices are just more obvious as well. And Japan has had really nasty inflation with energy + the weakening yen as well, so this is yet another thing that saps away at a budget where you're probably not saving that much to begin with.
kondro · 41m ago
As mentioned, I've done taste tests across various options and I can definitely tell the difference, which is why I pay more.
But as I also said, I can afford to pay more. I don't think the average Japanese is going to be effected. But as I mentioned, if you're budget conscious, not even considering non-Japanese rice is ridiculous.
No comments yet
daedrdev · 1h ago
Japan forces this to be the case with extremely high tariffs on rice imports. It's not that they won't consider it, they literally can't.
balanced2 · 1h ago
I see cal-rose for shy above 3000 yen. While I didn't grasp the details, I saw a news report which made it seems they've set up a quota (xx tons or something) of rice to be imported with almost no tariffs.
daedrdev · 1h ago
That sounds possible, I can get premium calrose at 4.5kg for 20$, which adjusted to be 5kg is like 3200 yen or it could be regular quality calrose marked up, I can get that for half the premium price so equivalent of 1600 yen.
pezezin · 35m ago
> The fact the average Japanese person won't even consider trying imported Japonica rice from Australia or USA is madness if budget is a consideration.
I live in Japan, and my girlfriend is an atypical Japanese that doesn't like rice that much. For her, the madness is that people here won't even consider other sources of carbs like pasta, potatoes, or bread.
mc3301 · 1h ago
Honestly, I think the average Japanese person wouldn't care that much after they tried it a few times. Especially upon noting the significant monthly savings. There's almost no imported rice even available here, and the propaganda of the superiority of domestic rice is quite powerful.
jjangkke · 1h ago
does it have the same sticky/wet/chewy texture that Japanese rice is famous for ?
the rice demand in Japan is extremely inelastic, they would rather eat less than consume foreign brands, and a lot of this comes from the trust they have in their industries.
hardly something to ridicule Japan or suggest they depart from their cultural values.
mc3301 · 19m ago
I was definitely neither ridiculing nor suggesting they depart from their cultural values.
I actually appreciate Japan's strong preference for domestic foods; the positive health aspects, the cultural ties, the community building, and so on.
dluan · 36m ago
Saying good rice is sticky/wet/chewy is not accurate, because different strains serve different purposes. Some rice is meant to be chewy for sushi, others are better used for chazuke. It also used to be a regional thing for which strains were used for which cuisines, eg Hokkaido rice (onigiri) is different than Shikoku rice (sake)
The equivalent is like French wine fans saying no good wine could be produced in California. Obviously that wasn't true, and there was a lot of propaganda trying to lead people to believe that it was.
ac29 · 42m ago
> does it have the same sticky/wet/chewy texture that Japanese rice is famous for ?
Calrose does but its not as good as the japanese rice I've had. Though I dont live in Japan and its possible only the better quality rices are exported?
balanced2 · 44m ago
The tv reporting on cal-rose did point out it's a bit less starchy, but still good. Similar reporting on the strategic reserve rice pointed out it's a bit more crunchy but still good. Someone on TV saying it's still good is pretty strong marketing and seems to be contributing to sales of imported rice. It'll be interesting to see how this goes once things settle down, especially if tariff-free rice quotas stick around.
kondro · 48m ago
I know that Australian-grown Japonica does, although I don't think produces in Australia care about taste (which is why I buy Japanese rice).
But when the average bowl of rice is smothered in curry, demi-glace or egg, soy & sugar I don't think you could tell.
YouMeWeThem · 41m ago
I got Calrose about a month back for just over 3000 yen, which is slightly cheaper than the homegrown stuff. The issue is that a year ago the homegrown stuff was going for 1500 yen.
angst · 57m ago
I'm curious if anyone has noticed a significant taste difference between Japonica rice and those imported from China, Korea, or Vietnam. Is one generally considered better tasting than the others?
RJIb8RBYxzAMX9u · 37m ago
> I'm curious if anyone has noticed a significant taste difference between Japonica rice and those imported from China, Korea, or Vietnam.
Yes, but it's like somewhere between mineral water and coffee. That is, most can tell the difference when directly compared, and may even prefer one over the other, but in many cases they are interchangeable.
> Is one generally considered better tasting than the others?
IMHO, no, but you tend to prefer the type you eat most often. Going back to the coffee analogy, most people have a roast / style they prefer, but few would claim that it's better.
Hasnep · 1h ago
> the average Japanese eats around 1kg of uncooked rice per week.
Some amount of price control makes sense for strategic defensive reasons: Japan isn't self sufficient in food but like many other economies wants to ensure a viable farming sector.
I'm not sure this amount of price control is needed for that outcome. From TV I get the impression Japanese rice production is pretty intensive, but also small plot focussed so not as efficient as Australia where it's miles and miles of field to the horizon.
Maybe Japanese rice farmers are a protected species?
jojobas · 25m ago
There's nothing wrong with not making your compatriots compete with dirt poor workers elsewhere.
pfdietz · 31m ago
A better strategic defense would be domestic meat production, with feed that can be diverted to direct human consumption in an emergency. This would build in a large buffer due to the inefficiency of conversion of feed calories to meat calories.
refulgentis · 1h ago
I'm confused, you open by noting the clear case for protection, and close by asking if protection describes the pricing. Maybe you perceive price controls and protection as separate? Price controls are a way to implement protection.
ggm · 41m ago
I'm asking how much. We have a ring-fenced dairy sector and ring fenced apple sector in Australia, biosecurity typically defines the protectionism. We don't pay this level of excess for milk, cheese and apples.
You could give direct income support to rice farmers and not recover it by insane pricing for Japanese rice.
If memory serves, the whale meat was virtually given away but by no means cost nothing to hunt, flense and store.
jmpman · 3h ago
I can buy rice at Costco in the US for $25 for 50lbs, which is equivalent to 854 yen for 5KG. A bit less than 1/4 the cost of Japanese grown rice.
numpad0 · 1h ago
Rice in Japan is indeed weirdly expensive in the first place. Typical price is ~1 USD/lbs, but there's been a mysterious shortage and they're retailing at double the regular price.
The minister of agriculture right now, Shinjiro Koizumi, is the son of Jun-ichiro Koizumi with now-unpopular legacy of deregulating and wrecking the Japanese postal service among few other government functions. The minister is now advocating for deregulating rice anyhow in response to the ongoing situation, and the situation kind of stinks.
Sorry that it's probably not the kind of content appropriate at HN anyway. It's more of "uncovering Cold War history podcast" style of content except it's in live.
daedrdev · 1h ago
The previous minister was fired after they admitted they didn't have to experience the expensive rice because they were given free rice by farms in Japan
0cf8612b2e1e · 1h ago
That is some bizarre obliviousness of privilege. I thought all of the more-equal-animals knew to keep quiet on the implicit bribes and other luxuries of their station.
mc3301 · 1h ago
It's rather quite the opposite in Japan. The "more-equal-animals" consistently make public completely oblivious remarks, only to apologize the following day and then (often) just go back to business as usual.
deadbabe · 49m ago
I think this is driven by the fetish to be extremely apologetic in Japanese culture.
bananalychee · 1h ago
These days it seems preferable to the Western alternative of politicians blatantly lying about their class to avoid the label.
gerdesj · 49m ago
Your job is somehow cheaper than a 'bot which costs pence.
How do you feel about that?
makeitdouble · 2h ago
That's the perfect setting for the "Mom can we have X ? No, we have X at home" meme.
Otherwise USA rice is imported in Japan, as well as other countries' and is indeed way cheaper, but not desirable and people aren't literally starving either.
daedrdev · 2h ago
California does make good rice. Japan is just hyper protectionist with extremely high import taxes on rice. They don't get imported because of this tax. The US produces both lower quality and high quality rice, as you might expect of an enormous country that exports half its rice. This is why prices remain high. Do you think someone who is poor would not buy cheaper rice that had 90% the quality if they could?
In fact the US produces plenty of Japanese rice (Japonica)
makeitdouble · 22m ago
> In fact the US produces plenty of Japanese rice (Japonica)
Indeed, I bought some and it was good. Italy also grows Japanese strains and it also of pretty good quality. Those are not cheap either, though. I'm assuming that's not the Costco rice parent was referring.
> This is why prices remain high.
It's complicated, and no single factor explains it all. Even singling out importing rice, Japan has better options than the US (the SEA region is a much more logical source for instance)
On the "it's complicated" part, believe it or not, Japan gov is/was actively restricting rice production as a long term strategy.
> Do you think someone who is poor would not buy cheaper rice that had 90% the quality if they could?
That's ignoring all the other options, in particular wheat (bread, pasta, noodles etc.), which can be cheaper than cheap rice. It doesn't match the cliche, but Japan has steadily included wheat as a staple over the years.
abtinf · 1h ago
For everyone else assuming Costco rice is low quality, they offer multiple options.
Costco’s basmati rice is excellent quality and can be ordered online 20lb for $27 delivered.
So that’s only about double the unit price for top end, premium rice.
apeescape · 2h ago
Isn't Japanese rice pretty different to Costco rice? Genuine question.
treefarmer · 2h ago
Yeah, as someone who started with Costco rice and slowly moved up the quality chain, there is a clear difference in taste between even average Japanese rice and most Costco rice. It would be interesting to see a price/quality comparison between the U.S. and Japanese Costcos though.
makeitdouble · 2h ago
This is one of these case where cross-country comparison might bring little relevant information.
Another example could be wine sold at US Cosco vs French Costco. It would be an indicator of something, but I'd personally be lost if I had to interpret it in regards to wine trends in France in general.
daedrdev · 54m ago
In fact Costco has some of the most powerful wine buyers in the world
It's sushi rice, grown in CA, and it's very good. Same stuff we used to buy from our local Japanese grocery store in CA.
numpad0 · 1h ago
Speculating from online comments around it and from looking at bags of Calrose rice, they seem to be few decades behind in cultivation techniques and selective breeding improvements. The grains look smaller, less shiny and more yellowy. but technically they should be of the same strain.
SpecialistK · 2h ago
I can't remember how much I paid, but I was able to buy 10KG of grown-in-Japan short grain rice at Costco in Canada within the last year.
Izikiel43 · 2h ago
Japanese rice variety I think is called Japonica. I'm not sure if costco sells it.
daedrdev · 1h ago
Calrose, the primary rice grown in California is a Japonica, its just Japanese rice grown in America. Tamanishiki, which is one of the high grade sushi rices is grown in the US and Japan
It is O. s. subsp. japonica
ac29 · 34m ago
> Calrose, the primary rice grown in California
Surprising, because while its widely available in California it seems to be a tiny minority of available rice. A search I did says it is 80% of California's crop, so presumably a lot of it is exported?
jeffbee · 13m ago
It doesn't serve every culinary purpose and most California grocery shoppers are not Japanese. You wouldn't make Moros y Cristianos with it. You wouldn't make Hoppin' John with it. It's no good for your Indian menu. It isn't really what you'd serve beside fried chicken.
There is no "best rice" any more than there is "best pants".
naniwaduni · 1h ago
Costco sells a couple of Kokuho-brand Calrose varieties, which are decent drop-ins for for generic East Asian rice.
theultdev · 1h ago
haven't seen japonica often in the US, but jasmine rice is similar and available pretty much everywhere.
in fact, jasmine rice smells and tastes better, and stickier!
socalgal2 · 1h ago
maybe I mis-understood what you meant by similar here but jasmine rice is nothing at all like japanese rice.
They have a completely different consistency when cooked and are used for different things.
theultdev · 1h ago
yes in fact, it is. relative to american rice.
it's has a similar stickiness, the taste is a bit different, but better imo.
it pairs well with asian dishes as opposed to american rices and can be used for sushi.
it's not 1:1, but it's certainly a good substitute when you can find japanese rice.
socalgal2 · 1h ago
Jasmine rice can NOT be used for sushi! It's not sticky enough to hold together. The fact that it's not sticky makes it good for fried rice, not for sushi.
theultdev · 1h ago
hmm, well the jasmine I buy is extra sticky.
maybe it's how it turns out in the rice cooker.
either way, I've done it and it tastes good /shrug
Shortgrain rice, such as Japanese rice, tends to be even more expensive than that.
That said, no idea where whatever it is the article is quoting the price of falls on that scale.
No comments yet
bravesoul2 · 1h ago
Nice. What is the average supermarket price for the equivalent rice in US.
ac29 · 26m ago
Looking at the closest one to me, $9/5lb (surely much less per pound in a bigger bag)
downrightmike · 42m ago
Doesn't matter, its a whole other country
tomcam · 1h ago
Can someone tell me why a statement of fact is being downvoted? I am genuinely puzzled.
y-curious · 1h ago
Because the poster's tone implies that American Calrose rice is inedible vs the superior Japanese rice. That's simply not true, and a bit reductionist.
theultdev · 1h ago
not the same species!
american white rice is only good when it's transformed into spanish rice, fried rice or creamy rice.
otherwise it's too bland because it's stripped. brown rice is better but still not as good.
both japonica and jasmine rice are good on their own.
love jasmine rice over all of them, it makes your mouth water when you cook it.
edit: who downvotes a comment about rice? lol.
daedrdev · 1h ago
Premium Tamanishiki (a type of premium sushi rice) is grown in the US and Japan, the US just produces a lot of types of rice. Japonica is a category of rice that includes Calrose for example which is grown primarily in California and is definitely an "American" rice given that it founded the California rice industry
Aeolun · 2h ago
You can buy the same rice in Japan if you are really desperate.
I think they’re deliberately talking only about rice people actually want to buy.
jmpman · 1h ago
I found a TikTok which showed rice in a Japanese Costco. A calrose variety American grown rice (Legrande Family rice) in the Japanese Costco was 2998 yen for 5KG. Must be tariffs causing the price to be so high.
daedrdev · 1h ago
Japan has very high rice tariffs to protect its domestic rice production. It is not peoples choice, it is not available at a cheaper price.
PaulHoule · 1h ago
People who eat mostly rice are picky about the rice they eat.
Golden Rice 2 was on the market for about five years in the Philippines before it got banned. If anybody had wanted to grow it or eat it it could have been a different story. I was talking to a genetic engineer a few weeks ago who said that the sensory qualities weren't that great. Nothing would have stopped advocates in the US from planting a few acres and selling bags of it (it's approved and all) but had they done so it would have put the lie to the idea that the developers were being persecuted like Prometheus. I don't think it was anywhere near the threat that its opponents said it was but it was nowhere near the boon that its promoters said it was.
foobar1962 · 14m ago
> Despite the fall, the average rice price was still ¥1,772 higher than that of a year earlier.
So this price isn't surprising or unusual at all.
haunter · 1h ago
Calrose is perfectly fine if you are looking for japanese grown rice replacement in the US. Same 'Oryza sativa subsp. japonica', just a different cultivar. It's the closest thing to Koshihikari but cheaper and widely available. Actually I'd say it's the best overall rice you can get not grown in Japan.
The "problem" is that you won't find rice like Yumepirika, Akitakomachi, Tsuyahime, or Nanatsuboshi (just a few example of my favorites) anywhere outside of Japan. Even Italy has japonica rice fields but it's a different class all together.
snupples · 53m ago
Calrose is quite different than most Japanese rice, since it's a medium grain. If you've grown up eating rice in Japan, it's instantly noticeable. You can buy California grown Koshihikari now on Amazon, which is a much better substitute.
Aloisius · 59m ago
Akitakomachi is grown in California. It's what Lundberg Sushi Rice is.
Calrose is medium-grain, but Koshihikari itself is grown in California as is a short-grain hybrid with Calrose called Calhikari. Sasanishiki is also being grown.
daedrdev · 1h ago
Ive seen US grown hitomebore and koshihikari, the koshihikari even under the same brand as the Japaneses rice just with a product of USA label
Japan's the fourth largest economy in the world and, given how cheap rice is, it being 1x, 5x or even 10x average I'm sure is insignificant to 95%+ of people.
For perspective, it's about 2x what you'd pay in a UK supermarket. What's the big deal?
numpad0 · 34m ago
"rice" and "meal" are synonyms in Japanese language. Food in day-to-day Japanese cooking mostly consider what and how to pair with rice off the cooker. And "the food" is suddenly costing double. It is a big deal.
downrightmike · 50m ago
Its been progressively becoming more expensive for the last 18 months. And Japanese wages are the same as the 90's and they have millions of pensioners that can't absorb a higher price.
xnx · 1h ago
$2.50/lb. in American
lofaszvanitt · 58m ago
End of times...
bbarnett · 2h ago
Arsenic in rice is on the rise. There is a chart in this article, on how to reduce that.
That method is for long-grain rice used in other parts of Asia, simply unfit for Japanese rice(or vice versa). It's just their highly British form of humor and customary jest.
I'd suggest Brits ban full leaved teas in favor of microwaved teabags while at it.
bbarnett · 33m ago
The study is a British joke? What are you talking about?
It seems to work with all rice, just with varying effectiveness.
Why do you think the study is targeting Japan? And why would the Brits joke about it?
Do you think I am? It's just good, general info. Arsenic in rice is problem, and getting worse.
I wonder why you would claim something like this, which literally can save lives, is false?
opan · 2h ago
>The PBA method involves parboiling the rice in pre-boiled water for five minutes before draining and refreshing the water, then cooking it on a lower heat to absorb all the water.
In Hawaii we get a lot of imported Japanese rice mainly due to prevalence of Japanese daily groceries here. The typical grocery store (eg donki) carries more than a few strains of rice - koshihikari, hitomebore, nanatsuboshi, hatsushimo, etc. These make a noticeable difference for your spam musubi's, but especially for sushi. We usually rotate between whatever's the cheapest Japanese imported rice, around $30-40 for ~15lbs, but I would say most people here eat Japanese rice.
At the start of the War on Trade, we noticed marginal price increases on Japanese rice, but especially noticed steep discounts on California calrose, like $15 for 25lbs, which to me felt insane. The local specialty rice store just had to issue a price increase notice last week (https://the-rice-factory-honolulu.square.site), though this seems like it's more the rice shortage than tariffs.
Thoughts and prayers though to the Japanese who will have to eat South Korean rice, once the national reserve stock dwindles. Hope they make it through this struggle period.
No comments yet
But as someone who's tried many varieties of Japonica, there is a difference between the best Japan-grown rice and non-speciality rice grown elsewhere, as well as a difference between fresh (Japanese enjoy eating new rice, which is different from many rice-eating cultures) and old rice.
I pay somewhere around AUD$14/kg for Japanese rice in Australia, but I also don't eat it that often and I'm not that price sensitive.
But also, the average Japanese eats around 1kg of uncooked rice per week. That's ¥800 at the rates in the article (~USD$300/year). Japan's cost of living is generally pretty low, but I doubt +/- $100/year is effecting many people.
Also as an East Asian I can somewhat understand reluctance to change rice. It’s just such a staple in your daily life. If I had eaten one type of rice for my entire life (and the price of the rice has remained stable for the last 40 years) and suddenly I can’t afford that type of rice, it would be a shock.
On asking them where it comes from and it's always either local to the restaurant, or to the prefecture the owner grew up in.
There's a lot of local patriotism for rice in Japan, I even find it admirable most of the time.
Rice price is obviously important and probably linked pretty highly with inflation numbers in Japan. It's price is currently being artificially manipulated higher by JA, and that sucks. But I think ultimately most of these articles and even the local discourse with other Japanese is just a socially acceptable topic to grumble about.
a 10kg bag of (AU-grown) koshihikari at Hanaromart (some Asian supermarket) is around 43 AUD right now IIRC. Could I tell the difference in blind tasting between it and just "normal" koshihikari off the shelf off a Japanese supermarket? Maybe, but maybe not. Not an argument for removing trade barriers, but the gap right now seems pretty stark.
I do feel like it's worth thinking about how you're saying 800 yen, but that might be per person. So for a 3-person family that's almost ~120k JPY per year. If you could cut that down to 90k JPY per year thats an extra 2500 JPY per month you can spend on food.
If you're the kind of person who only goes to the discount shops, an extra 2500 JPY per month can go a decent way on food. If you are on a pretty strict/limited food budget that 2500 JPY could go a long way.
Though of course like with eggs, etc, all food prices are just more obvious as well. And Japan has had really nasty inflation with energy + the weakening yen as well, so this is yet another thing that saps away at a budget where you're probably not saving that much to begin with.
But as I also said, I can afford to pay more. I don't think the average Japanese is going to be effected. But as I mentioned, if you're budget conscious, not even considering non-Japanese rice is ridiculous.
No comments yet
I live in Japan, and my girlfriend is an atypical Japanese that doesn't like rice that much. For her, the madness is that people here won't even consider other sources of carbs like pasta, potatoes, or bread.
the rice demand in Japan is extremely inelastic, they would rather eat less than consume foreign brands, and a lot of this comes from the trust they have in their industries.
hardly something to ridicule Japan or suggest they depart from their cultural values.
I actually appreciate Japan's strong preference for domestic foods; the positive health aspects, the cultural ties, the community building, and so on.
The equivalent is like French wine fans saying no good wine could be produced in California. Obviously that wasn't true, and there was a lot of propaganda trying to lead people to believe that it was.
Calrose does but its not as good as the japanese rice I've had. Though I dont live in Japan and its possible only the better quality rices are exported?
But when the average bowl of rice is smothered in curry, demi-glace or egg, soy & sugar I don't think you could tell.
Yes, but it's like somewhere between mineral water and coffee. That is, most can tell the difference when directly compared, and may even prefer one over the other, but in many cases they are interchangeable.
> Is one generally considered better tasting than the others?
IMHO, no, but you tend to prefer the type you eat most often. Going back to the coffee analogy, most people have a roast / style they prefer, but few would claim that it's better.
That's gonna be crunchy
Why are rice prices still high? - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44126639 - May 2025 (16 comments)
Japan plans to sell rice from emergency stockpiles to cut prices - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42915690 - Feb 2025 (11 comments)
Why has Japan been hit with rice shortages despite normal crops? - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41366304 - Aug 2024 (179 comments)
I'm not sure this amount of price control is needed for that outcome. From TV I get the impression Japanese rice production is pretty intensive, but also small plot focussed so not as efficient as Australia where it's miles and miles of field to the horizon.
Maybe Japanese rice farmers are a protected species?
You could give direct income support to rice farmers and not recover it by insane pricing for Japanese rice.
If memory serves, the whale meat was virtually given away but by no means cost nothing to hunt, flense and store.
The minister of agriculture right now, Shinjiro Koizumi, is the son of Jun-ichiro Koizumi with now-unpopular legacy of deregulating and wrecking the Japanese postal service among few other government functions. The minister is now advocating for deregulating rice anyhow in response to the ongoing situation, and the situation kind of stinks.
Sorry that it's probably not the kind of content appropriate at HN anyway. It's more of "uncovering Cold War history podcast" style of content except it's in live.
How do you feel about that?
Otherwise USA rice is imported in Japan, as well as other countries' and is indeed way cheaper, but not desirable and people aren't literally starving either.
In fact the US produces plenty of Japanese rice (Japonica)
Indeed, I bought some and it was good. Italy also grows Japanese strains and it also of pretty good quality. Those are not cheap either, though. I'm assuming that's not the Costco rice parent was referring.
> This is why prices remain high.
It's complicated, and no single factor explains it all. Even singling out importing rice, Japan has better options than the US (the SEA region is a much more logical source for instance)
On the "it's complicated" part, believe it or not, Japan gov is/was actively restricting rice production as a long term strategy.
> Do you think someone who is poor would not buy cheaper rice that had 90% the quality if they could?
That's ignoring all the other options, in particular wheat (bread, pasta, noodles etc.), which can be cheaper than cheap rice. It doesn't match the cliche, but Japan has steadily included wheat as a staple over the years.
Costco’s basmati rice is excellent quality and can be ordered online 20lb for $27 delivered.
So that’s only about double the unit price for top end, premium rice.
Another example could be wine sold at US Cosco vs French Costco. It would be an indicator of something, but I'd personally be lost if I had to interpret it in regards to wine trends in France in general.
It's sushi rice, grown in CA, and it's very good. Same stuff we used to buy from our local Japanese grocery store in CA.
It is O. s. subsp. japonica
Surprising, because while its widely available in California it seems to be a tiny minority of available rice. A search I did says it is 80% of California's crop, so presumably a lot of it is exported?
There is no "best rice" any more than there is "best pants".
in fact, jasmine rice smells and tastes better, and stickier!
Jasmine top, Japanese bottom
https://postimg.cc/6y2b0JdB
They have a completely different consistency when cooked and are used for different things.
it's has a similar stickiness, the taste is a bit different, but better imo.
it pairs well with asian dishes as opposed to american rices and can be used for sushi.
it's not 1:1, but it's certainly a good substitute when you can find japanese rice.
maybe it's how it turns out in the rice cooker.
either way, I've done it and it tastes good /shrug
Cheapest rice I am actually willing to eat, ~3000JPY/5kg: https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/293247162
Shortgrain rice, such as Japanese rice, tends to be even more expensive than that.
That said, no idea where whatever it is the article is quoting the price of falls on that scale.
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american white rice is only good when it's transformed into spanish rice, fried rice or creamy rice.
otherwise it's too bland because it's stripped. brown rice is better but still not as good.
both japonica and jasmine rice are good on their own.
love jasmine rice over all of them, it makes your mouth water when you cook it.
edit: who downvotes a comment about rice? lol.
I think they’re deliberately talking only about rice people actually want to buy.
Golden Rice 2 was on the market for about five years in the Philippines before it got banned. If anybody had wanted to grow it or eat it it could have been a different story. I was talking to a genetic engineer a few weeks ago who said that the sensory qualities weren't that great. Nothing would have stopped advocates in the US from planting a few acres and selling bags of it (it's approved and all) but had they done so it would have put the lie to the idea that the developers were being persecuted like Prometheus. I don't think it was anywhere near the threat that its opponents said it was but it was nowhere near the boon that its promoters said it was.
So this price isn't surprising or unusual at all.
Good side by side https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2a/Koshihik...
The "problem" is that you won't find rice like Yumepirika, Akitakomachi, Tsuyahime, or Nanatsuboshi (just a few example of my favorites) anywhere outside of Japan. Even Italy has japonica rice fields but it's a different class all together.
Calrose is medium-grain, but Koshihikari itself is grown in California as is a short-grain hybrid with Calrose called Calhikari. Sasanishiki is also being grown.
For perspective, it's about 2x what you'd pay in a UK supermarket. What's the big deal?
https://scitechdaily.com/scientists-find-new-way-of-cooking-...
I'd suggest Brits ban full leaved teas in favor of microwaved teabags while at it.
It seems to work with all rice, just with varying effectiveness.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S004896972...
Why do you think the study is targeting Japan? And why would the Brits joke about it?
Do you think I am? It's just good, general info. Arsenic in rice is problem, and getting worse.
I wonder why you would claim something like this, which literally can save lives, is false?