Hiroko Shimbo

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Japanese Cuisine authority; award winning Japanese cookbook author; chef-instructor; consultant to food industries; Japan tour creator and operator

10/13/2026

10. Japanese Rice Grown in New York — A remarkable new local harvest and why it’s delicious At the Wednesday Union Square Farmers Market, I found something unexpected: Akitakomachi rice grown in New York. Great Joy Family Farm in Pine Bush produces this Japanese short grain variety organically — no chemical fertilizers, no pesticides. They offered both white and brown Akitakomachi. The brown rice still had its germ, and when cooked, it was fragrant, sweet, and pleasantly chewy. A wonderful example of how Japanese rice can thrive in New York’s soil and water. Congratulations to Great Joy Family Farm for this delicious local harvest.

10/08/2026

9. Rice Cracker — The Complexity Behind Authentic Senbei At the Japan Rice Selection 2026 event, Morihaku Confectionery showcased traditional senbei and modern flavored versions (cheese, curry, shrimp, onion). They also introduced Zero Gravity — an ultra light senbei that melts instantly. Great for kids and seniors, but I still prefer the classic crunch.
The surprise: authentic senbei isn’t made from rice flour. It starts with whole grains and requires a complex, multi stage process: Soaking → Steaming → Pounding → Kneading → Refrigeration → Cutting → Drying → Second refrigeration → More drying → Third refrigeration → Baking → Seasoning
The craftsmanship is extraordinary. Zero Gravity is fun, but my heart belongs to the firm, brittle, shattering crunch of traditional senbei.

10/07/2026

8. My Rice Event: A Bowl of Discoveries — The most delicious grains showcased this year At the Japan Rice Selection 2026 event in NYC, producers from Kumamoto, Toyama, Yamagata, and Akita showcased regional rices, frozen sushi rice, noodles, bakery items, and crackers. The frozen sushi rice — already shaped for nigiri — was especially impressive.
Three cooked rices stood out: Kikuchi mai (Kumamoto) Grown near Kikuchi Gorge with over 2,000 years of rice history. Once sent to the Shogun and gifted to sumo champions and Kabuki actors. Fragrant, flavorful, beautifully textured.
Kurobe mai (Toyama) Grown near the Kurobe Gorge and Fuse River, nourished by pristine meltwater. Recently branded as Super Sushi Rice for the U.S. market. Clean flavor, perfect shine, remarkable balance.
Haenuki (Yamagata) Firm, pleasantly chewy, and sweet. After its release, it quickly captured 60% of Yamagata’s planting acreage.
Japan’s regional rices express terroir, history, and craftsmanship — you taste the land in every bowl.

10/06/2026

7. Rice for Eating, Rice for Brewing — Why sake rice is a different universe Sake rice (saka mai) is completely different from table rice. It’s bred for brewing, not eating. Each grain has a large opaque core called the shinpaku (photo: senjyo.co.jp) — concentrated starch that absorbs water predictably and lets koji mold grow deep into the grain. Saka mai is low in protein and lipids, which prevents off flavors during fermentation. It tastes poor when cooked, but it’s perfect for koji mai and clean fermentation.
Three major sake rices shape premium brewing: • Gohyakumangoku — light, elegant, refreshing • Yamada Nishiki — round umami, balanced, stable • Omachi — earthy, aromatic, distinctive
Dassai Blue in New York uses Yamada Nishiki from Hyogo, just like in Japan. Sake quality begins long before fermentation — in the grain’s structure, chemistry, and heritage.

10/01/2026

6. Rice Cultivation in Japan — History, ecology, and resilience Rice farming in Japan began thousands of years ago with wet paddy methods from the Yangtze River basin, perfectly suited to Japan’s climate and water. Mountain farmers later built terraced paddies (tanada棚田), beautiful but increasingly difficult for aging farmers to maintain. After WWII, chemical fertilizers boosted yields but harmed ecosystems; frogs, soft water fish, and birds began to disappear. Today, younger farmers are returning to soil health, biodiversity, and sustainable practices, often sharing their work online. One challenge remains: long standing systems still shape rice prices and production, making stable income difficult.
Japan’s rice is more than a crop — it is history, ecology, and resilience in every bowl.

09/30/2026

5. A Tour of Japanese Rice Varieties — From Hitomebore to Nanatsuboshi Japan grows more than 300 rice varieties, each shaped by local climate, water, and farming traditions. These five prefectures define today’s rice landscape:
1. Niigata — Koshihikari, Shinnosuke. Uonuma Koshihikari is famous for sweetness and strong stickiness, thanks to pure mountain snowmelt.
2. Hokkaido — Yumepirika, Nanatsuboshi. Clean water and wide land make it ideal for rice in a changing climate.
3. Akita — Akitakomachi, Sakihokore. Long winters and snowmelt create refreshing, sweet rice.
4. Yamagata — Haenuki, Tsuyahime. Heavy snowfall supports balanced flavor; Tsuyahime is known for its shine.
5. Miyagi — Hitomebore, Sasanishiki. Moderate stickiness and versatility for many dishes.
Japan’s rice expresses terroir as clearly as w**e — every bowl reflects the land behind it.

09/29/2026

4．Brown Rice（玄米） vs Polished Rice （白米）— Nutrition, flavor, and how milling transforms the grain Brown rice (genmai) keeps the germ and bran, so it’s richer in B vitamins, vitamin E, minerals, protein, lipids, and fiber. Most brown rice sold in Japan today is lightly polished, which gives: • shorter cooking time • more even hydration • softer texture • less bitterness • lower oxidation from bran oils
These changes match modern preferences for milder flavor and easier cooking. But lightly polished genmai is a trade off — convenient, yes, but it loses some aroma, nutrients, and hearty texture. I still prefer traditional, minimally polished brown rice for its character and depth.

09/24/2026

3．What Sushi Rice Really Means As sushi became popular in the U.S., Japanese short grain rice started being called “sushi rice” or “sticky rice.” Convenient terms — but not accurate. Japanese short grain rice includes many cultivars with different starch profiles, protein levels, and textures. Traditionally, sushi chefs chose Sasanishiki, a less sticky variety that keeps sushi clean in flavor and appearance. Today, chefs in Japan use Sasanishiki, Yukiwakamaru, Nanatsuboshi, Akitakomachi, and Hitomebore. In the U.S., chefs often choose Sasanishiki, Hitomebore, and Tamaki Gold for balance and consistency.

09/23/2026

2. Koshihikariコシヒカリこしひかり: The Gold Standard Koshihikari, introduced in 1956, became Japan’s benchmark table rice. Chewy, moist, aromatic, and rich in flavor, it set the standard for modern Japanese rice. Many well known cultivars — Hitomebore, Akitakomachi, Haenuki, Hinohikari, Kirara — are descendants of Koshihikari. In the U.S., growers produce Koshihikari type rices such as Tamanishiki, Kagayaki, Tamaki Mai, Hitomebore, and Kirara. Despite decades of innovation, Koshihikari still ranks at the top in Japan’s annual evaluations.

09/22/2026

About Japanese rice in 13 posts:
1. What Makes Japanese Rice Japanese? Japanese rice belongs to the short grain group. Its texture comes from the balance of amylopectin and amylose: more amylopectin gives softness and light stickiness; more amylose gives firmness and fluffiness. Japanese short grain rice typically has about 80–85% amylopectin and 15–20% amylose. Protein also matters — higher protein makes rice firmer and less sticky. Japanese farmers carefully manage protein levels, giving the rice its tenderness, shine, and clean flavor.

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