English

Since rice is the main staple of the Japanese diet, it is understandable that rice has deeply influenced Japan's food-culture.

Near the end of the Muromachi Period, for the first time since the foundation of the Japanese diet had been laid down, a wide variety of methods for preparing and enjoying rice-based cuisine had been created including Mochi (Rice cakes), Chimaki (Rice cakes wrapped in bamboo leaves), rice porridge and Kowameshi (Mochi rice with red beans).

Also, Japanese Sake is made from rice.

Not only is rice a facet of everyday life in Japan, it has also become the indispensable core of many traditional festivals.

The easiest way to cook rice is to boil it. The following is an introduction on how to make deliciously fluffy rice.

If you end up making too much rice, wrap the left-over amount while still hot, and store it in the freezer. Afterwards, you can simply defrost/heat the frozen rice in the microwave to enjoy rice which tastes as fresh as if it had just been cooked.

Accurately measure the amount of rice to be used. When measuring the amount of rice, be sure to use the measuring-cup which came with your rice-cooker. A typical amount of rice per serving is 180 cc (cubic-centimeters).

Quickly wash the rice. Using abundant water, rinse the rice in a mixing-motion, draining the water completely when finished. Repeat this process 2 or 3 times. The point here is to wash the rice gently, in order to prevent the loss of nutrients or the glutinous-flavor.

Accurate adjustment of the amount of water used when cooking. In the case of Japanese rice, a general rule of thumb for the amount of water used is to add 1.2 times the amount of unwashed-rice. Depending on whether you want softer rice or harder rice, feel free to adjust the amount of water accordingly.

Pre-soak the rice in water. Remember to pre-soak the rice in water for 30 minutes in the summer, and 2 hours in the winter. The secret to cooking fluffy rice is to the make sure the rice absorbs the proper amount of water before cooking.

Slowly let the rice steam after turning off the heat. Turn on the rice-cooker and let it work. Once the cooking cycle is complete, let the steam in the rice-cooker naturally finish the cooking process for about 10~15 minutes. Be sure not to open the lid during the cooking process. Letting the rice steam naturally ensures that each grain of rice is consistently moist.

Stir the rice. Slowly stirring the rice in a large, gentle motion from the bottom of the container, ensures that you get the most deliciously fluffy rice every single time!

English

The main staple of the Japanese diet is rice – a hard kernel of the rice-plant.
The rice-plant is cultivated in a rice-paddy (i.e. a field filled with water), giving rise to the name, "wet-land rice."

Although rice-plants can be grown by planting seeds in a dry-field, cultivation in a rice-paddy produces higher quality and volume, which gave rise to the tradition of wet-land rice.

This process is called rice-cultivation, and its roots can be traced back to the Jomon period, spreading across all of Japan during the Yayoi period.

The Japanese environment wasn't always suited for rice-cultivation. It is thanks to the tireless efforts of the early pioneers of Japan that rice-cultivation became possible.

According to the latest techniques, rice-plant sprouts, which have been partially raised in a seedling-incubator or hot-house, are planted in a rice-paddy using a rice-planting-machine.
Periodically, weeds are removed and fertilizer and pesticides are sprayed.
When the rice-plants are fully ripe, a combine is used to harvest the plants and separate the rice kernels from the chaff.

One of the advantages of rice-paddy cultivation is that, unlike dry-land cultivation, the same plot of land can be used multiple times in succession for rice-cultivation, with a lower risk of lowering the fertility of the soil through repeated usage.

The image of rice-cultivation is one which permeates every aspect of Japanese life, symbolizing Japan's rich traditional-culture.

Something which expresses this relationship is the "Yo-Shuku-Gi-Rei": a traditional prayer-ceremony held before cultivation begins, wishing for a bountiful harvest.

A wide variety of festivals have been passed down through the generations. Examples include "Ta-Uchi-Shou-Gatsu", a festivity re-enacting the task of rice-planting, and "Ta-Asobi", a ceremony re-enacting daily-life on a farm.