JAPANESE ENJOY CALIFORNIA RICE, PART 2
There was an interesting article in the NIKKEI WEEKLY recently about Japan's rice industry. In this article, it mentioned the following facts.
Japan imported 679,000 tons of rice in the year 2002, which is up from 408,000 tons in 1995. Almost 50% is from the U.S. And, the average price of rice in Japan is now actually 20% cheaper than in 1995.
In February 2003, the Japan Rice Millers Association conducted a survey in Japan about the quality of California rice sold in Japan. They used a scale of 0 - 100, with 100 the best tasting rice. Japanese who tasted Koshihikari rice from California gave it a score of 78, and those who tasted Akitakomachi rice from California gave it a score of 74.
These same testers gave a score of 74 to Koshihikari rice grown in Niigata and a score of 72 for Akitakomachi rice grown in Akita.
So it is clear that California rice can compete with some Japanese rice. And organically grown rice (naturally grown rice without any chemicals or pesticides) is common in California so some Japanese importers are buying in California because there is not enough grown in Japan.
The USA Rice Federation has begun a marketing campaign in Japan to promote California rice. 44 rice shops in Tokyo, Kanagawa and Kyoto have agreed to sell some California rice. The price will average 370 yen per kilogram.
If you want to try California rice, here are 3 locations in Tokyo (according to the California Rice Industry association):
Suzunobu: 1-11-3, Nishi Gotanda, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo Tel: 03-3492-7511
Yamamoto Kome-ten: 3-4-18, Yaguchi, Ohta-ku, Tokyo Tel: 03-3758-1538
Mikawaya: 6-13-20 Meguro-Honcho Meguro-ku, Tokyo Tel: 03-3712-4744
Sacramento, California http://home.pacbell.net/cnet
