rice

A bowl of hot, glistening white rice ... Rice has long been the staple food of Japan, and it still makes frequent appearances on the dining table. For many people in Japan, a sense of nostalgia is evoked by images of farmers planting seedlings or harvesting rice with the beautiful natural scenery of the season as a backdrop. Japan produces about 10 million tons of rice a year, maintaining near-100-percent self-sufficiency in rice. In a country of low overall food self-sufficiency, rice is unique and special. There are many ways to eat rice, but the standard way is to eat it plan. The flavour of rice is relatively simple, so all sorts of side dishes go well with it.
1. Onigiri rice balls have long been popular. They can be eaten with one hand and are easy to carry around. To make an onirigiri, the rice is firmly shaped into a ball around a filling, of which there are many varieties, such as grilled salmon, KONBU seaweed and cod roe.

2. CHASUKE: Ingredients are placed on top of a bowl of rice, and hot green tea is poured over them. It makes an ideal light meal.

3. Another popular way to enjoy rice is to eat with a simple topping of raw egg and soy sauce. there are now even restaurants that specialize in this dish.

Since ancient times in Japan, prayers for a bountiful rice harvest have given rise to many festivals and rituals. At festivals held to pray for a good harvest, known as OTAUE-MATURI, planting is accompanied by cheerful singing. In olden times, there was also a rite called SUMAI NO SECHIE, in which SUMO bouts were held at the Imperial court. Now regarded as Japan's national sport, SUMO was once a ritual to pray for a beautiful rice harvest. Rice was also used to pay taxes in the old days. TOYOTOMI HIDEYOSI unified the country in the 16th century and reformed the tax system, but it was never the less based on rice. He ordered a survey of entire country's paddy fields to find out how much rice they could field. Based on its findings, the standards for taxation were established

The sataus of a feudal lord then came to be determined by the amount of rice that could be harvested in his domain. Even today, Japan's agriculture centres around the production of rice. Rice the production of rice. Rice ripening in paddy fields... It is , and has always been, a source of bountiful joy for the Japanese.