The red rice variety is the least common, but it is the most visually appealing, as it has a bright red color. In a nutshell

I usually cook rice in the morning, so I rinse the rice after dinner and let it soak overnight. It’s okay to soak overnight. #3 Rice to water ratio Ishizaki K, Matsui T, Harasawa R (2005) Practical application of multiline variety with blast resistance genes of Koshihikari in Niigata prefecture. Jpn J Crop Sci 74:438–443 (in Japanese with English summary)Despite weak resistance to blast diseases and lodging susceptibility, Japanese farmers have learned to successfully cultivate Koshihikari by applying their practical skills, leading to widespread adoption of Koshihikari. Japanese manufacturers have also been involved in rice cultivation, processing, and cooking to adapt their products to use Koshihikari. In addition, the spread of Japanese food restaurants outside of Japan has accelerated demand for rice with high eating quality. These trends have increased the value of Koshihikari and Koshihikari-like rice. For these reasons, rice-using industries, scientists, and consumers can’t discuss Japanese rice without thinking of Koshihikari. The high quality of rice however also means a high price. But many Japanese people say that they are happy to pay a lot for good rice, even if they have to buy cheaper side dishes to go with it. Brands of Japanese Rice When you finish cooking rice, the moisture appears on its surface, and the rice is a little too wet. If you are Ally, she also thinks that you have to cook the vinegar/shari su, but don’t be like Ally.

Kawatsu S, Homma K, Horie T, Shiraiwa T (2007) Change of weather condition and its effect on rice production during the past 40 years in Japan. Jap J Crop Sci 76:423–432 (in Japanese with English summary) It is noteworthy that the advantages of Koshihikari have gradually become clear during its dissemination throughout Japan. Its strong cold tolerance during the booting stage was identified in paddy fields irrigated with cold water in northern regions (Ozeki et al. 1995), and Hosoi ( 1989) found that this was relatively strong on the basis of the critical low temperature at which a cultivar is able to produce at least 80% of perfectly mature grains, although Koshihikari was selected without a prior evaluation for cold tolerance. This strong cold tolerance during the booting stage was inherited by Hitomebore and Akitakomachi (Fig. 1, Fig. 3); these cultivars have frequently resisted damage from cold weather in northern regions of Japan. In the end, the variety of rice is important, but assuming that quality also depends on its origin and producer, we asked what rice variety one well-known sushi restaurant used. Their invaluable responses were Hitomebore (A+), Tsuyahime (A+), Akitakomachi (A+), Koshihikari (A+), and Sasanishiki (A’). It is decent to consider brands like Koshihikari, Sasanishiki, and Tsuyahime are the best rice for sushi. There are three broad groups of rice: short-grain, medium-grain, and long-grain. Short-grain rice is the most commonly consumed in Japan and is mostly Japonica rice. Medium-grain is rice that is medium in length such as Calrose rice. Long-grain rice is long and thin like rice eaten in Thailand, and known as Indica rice.Leftover rice can be kept in the fridge for a few days or in the freezer. Use the microwave to thaw and re-heat. Noda H, Teramoto K, Taniguchi S, Kohara Y, Mori M, Kitamura H, Watanabe K (1997) Studies on breeding using protoplast-derived plants in rice ( Oryza sativa L.), Koshihikari variety III. Characteristics of semidwarf line ‘Jikei 58’ selected from the mutants. Bull Shiga Agr Exp Stn 38:17–24 (in Japanese with English summary) Gou is the second smallest unit. Instead of a plastic cup (as there was no such thing as plastic), people used a square wooden cup, which is almost equivalent to 180ml (180.39ml to be exact). The next level of unit is ‘ shou‘ (升), which is 10 times of gou. 10 times of shou is ‘ to‘ (斗, pronounce as /tɔ/ – the sound of toy without ‘i’), then 10 times of to is ‘ koku‘ (石). Yamamoto T, Nagasaki H, Yonemaru J, Ebana K, Nakajima M, Shibaya T, Yano M (2010) Fine definition of the pedigree haplotypes of closely related rice cultivars by means of genome-wide discovery of single-nucleotide polymorphisms. BMC Genomics 11:267

Machida Y, Hayashi A, Sagara N, Tanabata T, Tomita K, Tanoi M, Kobayashi A (2017) Evaluation of cooked rice appearance by image analysis. Breed Res 19:103–108 (in Japanese with English summary) Furuta T, Uehara K, Shim R, Shim J, Nagai K, Ashikari M, Takashi T (2016) Development of chromosome segment substitution lines harboring Oryza nivara genomic segments in Koshihikari and evaluation of yield-related traits. Breed Sci 66:845–850The Australian brand SunRice produces Koshihikari rice. You can even buy it at supermarkets these days. Unlike sushi, you don’t need to use vinegar and salt to season the rice. If you used vinegar and salt in your rice to add flavor, locals would call it “sushi” and not “onigiri” anymore. Japan covers a wide range of latitude, from 46°N to 20°N, so environmental characteristics such as day length and temperature vary widely among regions. Therefore, rice cultivars are usually chosen to fit the environment of each area. However, Koshihikari can be cultivated at latitudes ranging from 40°N to 31°N (Fig. ​ (Fig.3). 3). This high adaptability of Koshihikari originates from its heading properties. In addition, the basic vegetative growth duration of Koshihikari was 35.2days when it was cultivated under short-day conditions after sprouting at 28°C (Mimoto et al. 1989). This duration could be divided into the juvenile phase, when it is insensitive to the short-day conditions (13.1days), and the reproductive phase until heading, when it is sensitive to photoperiod (22.1days). Its temperature sensitivity is high (Hosoi 1979), and its photoperiod sensitivity is relatively weak compared with other Japanese rice cultivars (Mimoto et al. 1989, Hori et al. 2013). You can still use other rice variants, but it might not have a great shape and texture as a genuine onigiri. So, if you don't have a rice cooker like me but want to cook Japanese rice, you are at the right place!

A QTL for good eating quality in Koshihikari was detected on the short arm of chromosome 3 (Takeuchi et al. 2008, Hori and Yano 2013). Other genetic studies have found major-effect QTLs for eating quality traits by using segregating populations derived from crosses with Koshihikari (Takeuchi et al. 2007, Kobayashi et al. 2008, Wada et al. 2008). Fine-mapping of a seed dormancy QTL revealed that a nonfunctional qLTG3–1 allele, was associated with strong tolerance to pre-harvest sprouting in Koshihikari (Hori et al. 2010). A novel QTL on the short arm of chromosome 1 ( qCL1) was associated with long culm length and weak lodging resistance in Koshihikari (Hori et al. 2009, Hori et al. 2012). A QTL for strong cold tolerance at the booting stage ( qCT7) was detected on the long arm of chromosome 7 (Takeuchi et al. 2001, Hori et al. 2017). Fukuoka et al. ( 2010) and Hori et al. ( 2017) detected and validated the QTL for leaf blast resistance ( qLBR1) on the short arm of chromosome 1. This QTL allele in Koshihikari conferred susceptibility to leaf blast infection. These QTLs contributed strongly to agronomic characteristics in Koshihikari. Marker-assisted breeding for “pinpoint” improvement of Koshihikari With the increasing cultivation of Koshihikari in Japan, several good agronomic characteristics beyond its high eating quality became apparent, such as its good adaptation to different environments, tolerance to pre-harvest sprouting, and cold tolerance during the booting stage. Shokumi Ranking Evaluation It is also cultivated in other parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, and Europe. Hashizume A, Yamagishi A (1969) Studies on growth regulation of rice plants by soil treatment with pentachlorophenol (PCP). I Effect of PCP on controlling over-growth and lodging of rice plants in ill-drained paddy field. Jpn J Crop Sci 38:388–395 (in Japanese with English summary) Chef JA Cooks is a Japanese food blog that shares simple and healthy Japanese home cooking recipes, including vegan and vegetarian. From traditional Japanese recipes to modern recipes with step-by-step instructions. More Rice Recipes You Might LikeWe mainly eat short-grain white rice daily, but we also enjoy short-grain brown rice and glutinous rice (like this recipe: Sekihan(Azuki bean rice)). Water Hosoi N (1989) Regional differences of the cool tolerance at heading and flowering stages in Japanese varieties of rice ( Oryza sativa L.) Jpn J Breed 39:481–494 (in Japanese with English summary) Shigemune A, Sasahara H, Goto A, Miura K, Yoshida T (2007) Analysis of the accuracy of eating quality test for breeding high palatable rice variety. Jpn J Crop Sci 76:306–310 (in Japanese with English summary)