Tag - rice

 
 

RICE

A variety of rice cookers at a home appliance store
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Tohoku
Dec 16, 2024
Companies rush to high-end rice cookers as consumer tastes change
Appliance-makers are working with rice growers to boost demand, as well as debuting products that focus on flavor and features.
Japanese food makers plan to raise prices for 109 items in December, a survey released by research company Teikoku Databank on Friday showed.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 29, 2024
Japanese food makers to raise prices for 109 items in December
The total number of food items subject to price increases throughout 2024 is expected to fall by about 60% from the previous year to 12,520.
The Finance Ministry noted firm private consumption in raising its economic assessments in the Kanto region and other areas.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 7, 2024
Government upgrades economic views for five regions
In a quarterly report, the Finance Ministry raised its views for the Kanto, Hokuriku, Tokai, Shikoku and Okinawa regions.
According to Teikoku Databank, the upcoming price increases can be attributed to higher material costs and will be led by processed food and snacks.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 1, 2024
Japan to see price hikes for 282 food products this month
The upcoming price increases can be attributed to higher material costs and will be led by processed food and snacks.
A visitor tries sake during an event for Japanese food products held on the outskirts of Paris on Monday.
JAPAN
Oct 22, 2024
Japanese prefectures showcase food products in France
Ishikawa Prefecture, which was hit by a major earthquake on Jan. 1, offered curry specially arranged for the European market at the event.
Flooding in Feni, Bangladesh, on Aug. 25. Bangladesh's agriculture ministry said such flooding this year has resulted in a substantial loss of rice production.
WORLD
Oct 20, 2024
Floods destroy 1.1 million tons of rice in Bangladesh
Floods in Bangladesh have destroyed about 1.1 million metric tons of rice, leading to increased imports amid rising food prices.
Deployed properly, uncooked rice can be a secret weapon to imbue your favorite cocktails with a certain je ne sais quoi.
LIFE / Food & Drink / The Recipe Box
Sep 29, 2024
The secret ingredient in this cocktail? Rice.
Using uncooked rice as an additive for mixing cocktails is a fun way to uncover subtleties in your favorite sips.
A farmer harvests rice in a paddy field in Tamba-Sasayama, Hyogo Prefecture, last month.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Sep 25, 2024
In need of rice and some Japanese words that describe necessity
When does something go from being a "want" to a "need"? A few grammar structures can give the listener a sense of how urgent a situation is becoming.
The Japanese word for cooked rice, "gohan," is the same word used for meals in general.
LIFE / Language / Vocabulary Boost
Sep 25, 2024
Some idioms and terms pertaining to Japan's favorite grain
When one kind of food is so essential to the diet of an entire culture, it's bound to affect the language.
The rice harvest ramped up this month and will ease a supply squeeze, but farmers and Japan’s main grain distributor have agreed to higher contract prices.
JAPAN
Sep 24, 2024
Rice inflation to persist despite harvest, as prices rise over 20% on year
Tokyo shoppers were paying 23% more than a year ago for 5 kilogram bags of rice last month, while wholesale prices have risen 28% — the biggest hike since 1975.
Rice in a field in Tambasasayama, Hyogo Prefecture in August. Rice prices jumped 28.3%, posting the largest increase since September 1975.
BUSINESS
Sep 20, 2024
Japan core consumer prices up 2.8% in August
Rice prices shot up 28.3%, electricity rates soared 26.2% and city gas rates 15.1%, following an end of government subsidies.
Shuzo Fukushi, who heads Rice Meister Kojimachi in Tokyo, shows a bag of Calrose mixed with domestic rice at his store on Thursday.
JAPAN / Society
Sep 6, 2024
Demand for Calrose rice rises amid Japanese rice shortage
The California rice is a medium-grain variety cheaper than the Japanese short-grain cultivar, but with a similar taste.
Empty shelves of rice are pictured in a supermarket in Tokyo on Aug. 27 with a notice asking customers to buy one brand a day for a family.
JAPAN
Sep 4, 2024
Agricultural Ministry holds meeting on rice shortage in stores
As of the end of June, private-sector rice inventories in the country stood at 1.56 million metric tons, the lowest since comparable data became available in 1999.
Naoto Ooka inspects a new heat-resistant rice breed called Emihokoro that has been planted at the government-run Saitama Agricultural Technology Center in Kumagaya, Saitama Prefecture, on Aug. 7.
JAPAN
Aug 29, 2024
As sweltering summers ravage crops, Japan bets on heat-resistant rice
Supermarkets have struggled to keep rice shelves stocked in recent months.
A supermarket worker puts up a sign asking purchasers to buy only one bag per person, in Tokyo on July 25.
JAPAN
Aug 22, 2024
Why it's hard to find rice at Japan's supermarkets right now
In recent weeks, store shelves have often been barren, with many shops displaying signs asking purchasers to stick to one bag per person.
There are no rules when it comes to making a bibimbap adapted to your own personal tastes.
LIFE / Food & Drink / The Recipe Box
Aug 18, 2024
With the humble bibimbap, do as you like
With broccoli florets as part of our bibimbap topping, we can also make a quick pickle of the stalk, meaning this meal is practically without waste.
Japan's food self-sufficiency rate has declined on the back of the country's changing food culture as demand for rice declines.
JAPAN
Aug 8, 2024
Japan's food self-sufficiency rate remained stable at 38% in fiscal 2023
The rate has remained stagnant even though the government aims to raise it to 45% by fiscal 2030.
A worker at a supermarket in Tokyo's Nerima Ward puts up a sign on July 25 saying rice purchases are restricted to one bag per customer.
JAPAN
Jul 31, 2024
Japan's rice stocks shrink to record low amid high demand and heat woes
An 18 percentage point decline in the share of 2023's crop rated first-grade led to a decrease in rice on the market, while demand saw the first rise in a decade.
This year's rice harvest is also feared to be impacted by the scorching heat, spurring concerns among producers and consumers.
JAPAN
Jul 27, 2024
Heat waves impact Japan's rice quality, leading to shortage
Despite 2023's harvest volume being on par with previous years, high temperatures have caused rice grains to develop a cloudy look or break into pieces.
A supermarket in Yangon operated by Aeon
JAPAN
Jul 12, 2024
Japanese businessman taken to court in Myanmar
Hiroshi Kasamatsu, a 53-year-old employee of Japanese retailer Aeon, was detained late last month over an alleged illegal practice linked to rice sales.

Longform

Yasuyuki Yoshida stirs a brew in a fermentation tank at his brewery in Hakusan.
The quake that shook Noto's sake brewing tradition