Around the world, Indica rice is the most common, but in Japan, people mostly eat Japonica rice. Japonica rice is known for its chewy texture and stickiness when cooked. Rice is grown all over Japan, and even here in Hokkaido, where I live—which is a very cold region—rice farming has become successful. It used to be difficult to grow rice here, but thanks to years of breeding and development, Hokkaido is now one of the top regions in both quality and production. Famous rice brands like “Yumepirika” and “Nanatsuboshi” come from here.

Recently, rice prices have been going up in Japan, and it’s been in the news. But with the cost of everything else rising, it’s hard to expect rice alone to stay cheap. When I think about the farmers, I feel like the price increase is understandable.

Most households in Japan use a rice cooker to cook rice, but rice made in a clay pot (donabe) is also super tasty.