Price of rice in Japan falls below ¥4k per 5 kilograms
71 comments
·June 30, 2025kondro
balanced2
From what I've seen at the supermarket, cal-rose, rice from California does sell out and get restocked with reasonable quantity. While I can't be sure it's "average Japanese people" buying it I see no reason to believe otherwise. It's been shown on TV a few times too, the sure-fire average marketing in Japan.
creakingstairs
At least for supermarkets around me they _only_ sell Japanese rice. You’d have to buy online or drive out which doesn’t work for vast majority of old population.
Also as an East Asian I can somewhat understand reluctance to change rice. It’s just such a staple in your daily life. If I had eaten one type of rice for my entire life (and the price of the rice has remained stable for the last 40 years) and suddenly I can’t afford that type of rice, it would be a shock.
kondro
There are so many restaurants that talk about using the best rice in Japan.
On asking them where it comes from and it's always either local to the restaurant, or to the prefecture the owner grew up in.
There's a lot of local patriotism for rice in Japan, I even find it admirable most of the time.
Rice price is obviously important and probably linked pretty highly with inflation numbers in Japan. It's price is currently being artificially manipulated higher by JA, and that sucks. But I think ultimately most of these articles and even the local discourse with other Japanese is just a socially acceptable topic to grumble about.
balanced2
I think it's only Aeon that is pushing imported rice. While I see them prop up everywhere lately, indeed if none in the area I guess it's not readily available. Where it is though it doesn't seem unpopular, at least it isn't stuck on shelves. When I first saw it disappear, I thought it may have been a failed experiment but was happy to see it restocked.
Hasnep
> the average Japanese eats around 1kg of uncooked rice per week.
That's gonna be crunchy
angst
I'm curious if anyone has noticed a significant taste difference between Japonica rice and those imported from China, Korea, or Vietnam. Is one generally considered better tasting than the others?
daedrdev
Japan forces this to be the case with extremely high tariffs on rice imports. It's not that they won't consider it, they literally can't.
balanced2
I see cal-rose for shy above 3000 yen. While I didn't grasp the details, I saw a news report which made it seems they've set up a quota (xx tons or something) of rice to be imported with almost no tariffs.
daedrdev
That sounds possible, I can get premium calrose at 4.5kg for 20$, which adjusted to be 5kg is like 3200 yen or it could be regular quality calrose marked up, I can get that for half the premium price so equivalent of 1600 yen.
mc3301
Honestly, I think the average Japanese person wouldn't care that much after they tried it a few times. Especially upon noting the significant monthly savings. There's almost no imported rice even available here, and the propaganda of the superiority of domestic rice is quite powerful.
jjangkke
does it have the same sticky/wet/chewy texture that Japanese rice is famous for ?
the rice demand in Japan is extremely inelastic, they would rather eat less than consume foreign brands, and a lot of this comes from the trust they have in their industries.
hardly something to ridicule Japan or suggest they depart from their cultural values.
kondro
I know that Australian-grown Japonica does, although I don't think produces in Australia care about taste (which is why I buy Japanese rice).
But when the average bowl of rice is smothered in curry, demi-glace or egg, soy & sugar I don't think you could tell.
dluan
This has been a fun/interesting ordeal to watch from far away, though I think people in Japan are feeling a lot of pain right now.
In Hawaii we get a lot of imported Japanese rice mainly due to prevalence of Japanese daily groceries here. The typical grocery store (eg donki) carries more than a few strains of rice - koshihikari, hitomebore, nanatsuboshi, hatsushimo, etc. These make a noticeable difference for your spam musubi's, but especially for sushi. We usually rotate between whatever's the cheapest Japanese imported rice, around $30-40 for ~15lbs, but I would say most people here eat Japanese rice.
At the start of the War on Trade, we noticed marginal price increases on Japanese rice, but especially noticed steep discounts on California calrose, like $15 for 25lbs, which to me felt insane. The local specialty rice store just had to issue a price increase notice last week (https://the-rice-factory-honolulu.square.site), though this seems like it's more the rice shortage than tariffs.
Thoughts and prayers though to the Japanese who will have to eat South Korean rice, once the national reserve stock dwindles. Hope they make it through this struggle period.
NaOH
Related:
Why are rice prices still high? - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44126639 - May 2025 (16 comments)
Japan plans to sell rice from emergency stockpiles to cut prices - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42915690 - Feb 2025 (11 comments)
Why has Japan been hit with rice shortages despite normal crops? - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41366304 - Aug 2024 (179 comments)
ggm
Some amount of price control makes sense for strategic defensive reasons: Japan isn't self sufficient in food but like many other economies wants to ensure a viable farming sector.
I'm not sure this amount of price control is needed for that outcome. From TV I get the impression Japanese rice production is pretty intensive, but also small plot focussed so not as efficient as Australia where it's miles and miles of field to the horizon.
Maybe Japanese rice farmers are a protected species?
refulgentis
I'm confused, you open by noting the clear case for protection, and close by asking if protection describes the pricing. Maybe you perceive price controls and protection as separate? Price controls are a way to implement protection.
beejiu
Japan's the fourth largest economy in the world and, given how cheap rice is, it being 1x, 5x or even 10x average I'm sure is insignificant to 95%+ of people.
For perspective, it's about 2x what you'd pay in a UK supermarket. What's the big deal?
downrightmike
Its been progressively becoming more expensive for the last 18 months. And Japanese wages are the same as the 90's and they have millions of pensioners that can't absorb a higher price.
jmpman
I can buy rice at Costco in the US for $25 for 50lbs, which is equivalent to 854 yen for 5KG. A bit less than 1/4 the cost of Japanese grown rice.
numpad0
Rice in Japan is indeed weirdly expensive in the first place. Typical price is ~1 USD/lbs, but there's been a mysterious shortage and they're retailing at double the regular price.
The minister of agriculture right now, Shinjiro Koizumi, is the son of Jun-ichiro Koizumi with now-unpopular legacy of deregulating and wrecking the Japanese postal service among few other government functions. The minister is now advocating for deregulating rice anyhow in response to the ongoing situation, and the situation kind of stinks.
Sorry that it's probably not the kind of content appropriate at HN anyway. It's more of "uncovering Cold War history podcast" style of content except it's in live.
daedrdev
The previous minister was fired after they admitted they didn't have to experience the expensive rice because they were given free rice by farms in Japan
0cf8612b2e1e
That is some bizarre obliviousness of privilege. I thought all of the more-equal-animals knew to keep quiet on the implicit bribes and other luxuries of their station.
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abtinf
For everyone else assuming Costco rice is low quality, they offer multiple options.
Costco’s basmati rice is excellent quality and can be ordered online 20lb for $27 delivered.
So that’s only about double the unit price for top end, premium rice.
makeitdouble
That's the perfect setting for the "Mom can we have X ? No, we have X at home" meme.
Otherwise USA rice is imported in Japan, as well as other countries' and is indeed way cheaper, but not desirable and people aren't literally starving either.
daedrdev
California does make good rice. Japan is just hyper protectionist with extremely high import taxes on rice. They don't get imported because of this tax. The US produces both lower quality and high quality rice, as you might expect of an enormous country that exports half its rice. This is why prices remain high. Do you think someone who is poor would not buy cheaper rice that had 90% the quality if they could?
In fact the US produces plenty of Japanese rice (Japonica)
apeescape
Isn't Japanese rice pretty different to Costco rice? Genuine question.
treefarmer
Yeah, as someone who started with Costco rice and slowly moved up the quality chain, there is a clear difference in taste between even average Japanese rice and most Costco rice. It would be interesting to see a price/quality comparison between the U.S. and Japanese Costcos though.
makeitdouble
This is one of these case where cross-country comparison might bring little relevant information.
Another example could be wine sold at US Cosco vs French Costco. It would be an indicator of something, but I'd personally be lost if I had to interpret it in regards to wine trends in France in general.
ericd
Costco sells a few varieties, this is the one we buy: https://www.costcobusinessdelivery.com/kokuho-rose-us-%231-e...
It's sushi rice, grown in CA, and it's very good. Same stuff we used to buy from our local Japanese grocery store in CA.
numpad0
Speculating from online comments around it and from looking at bags of Calrose rice, they seem to be few decades behind in cultivation techniques and selective breeding improvements. The grains look smaller, less shiny and more yellowy. but technically they should be of the same strain.
SpecialistK
I can't remember how much I paid, but I was able to buy 10KG of grown-in-Japan short grain rice at Costco in Canada within the last year.
Izikiel43
Japanese rice variety I think is called Japonica. I'm not sure if costco sells it.
daedrdev
Calrose, the primary rice grown in California is a Japonica, its just Japanese rice grown in America. Tamanishiki, which is one of the high grade sushi rices is grown in the US and Japan
It is O. s. subsp. japonica
naniwaduni
Costco sells a couple of Kokuho-brand Calrose varieties, which are decent drop-ins for for generic East Asian rice.
theultdev
haven't seen japonica often in the US, but jasmine rice is similar and available pretty much everywhere.
in fact, jasmine rice smells and tastes better, and stickier!
tsukikage
Cheapest rice I can easily get here in the UK, equivalent to ~1600JPY/5kg: https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/314300009
Cheapest rice I am actually willing to eat, ~3000JPY/5kg: https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/293247162
Shortgrain rice, such as Japanese rice, tends to be even more expensive than that.
That said, no idea where whatever it is the article is quoting the price of falls on that scale.
rtpg
I have to imagine that the article is talking about short grain rice.
bravesoul2
Nice. What is the average supermarket price for the equivalent rice in US.
tomcam
Can someone tell me why a statement of fact is being downvoted? I am genuinely puzzled.
y-curious
Because the poster's tone implies that American Calrose rice is inedible vs the superior Japanese rice. That's simply not true, and a bit reductionist.
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theultdev
not the same species!
american white rice is only good when it's transformed into spanish rice, fried rice or creamy rice.
otherwise it's too bland because it's stripped. brown rice is better but still not as good.
both japonica and jasmine rice are good on their own.
love jasmine rice over all of them, it makes your mouth water when you cook it.
edit: who downvotes a comment about rice? lol.
daedrdev
Premium Tamanishiki (a type of premium sushi rice) is grown in the US and Japan, the US just produces a lot of types of rice. Japonica is a category of rice that includes Calrose for example which is grown primarily in California and is definitely an "American" rice given that it founded the California rice industry
fennecbutt
Asianometry did a great video on some of the reasons for this https://youtube.com/watch?v=l4vTQV3HjKU
haunter
Calrose is perfectly fine if you are looking for japanese grown rice replacement in the US. Same 'Oryza sativa subsp. japonica', just a different cultivar. It's the closest thing to Koshihikari but cheaper and widely available. Actually I'd say it's the best overall rice you can get not grown in Japan.
Good side by side https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2a/Koshihik...
The "problem" is that you won't find rice like Yumepirika, Akitakomachi, Tsuyahime, or Nanatsuboshi (just a few example of my favorites) anywhere outside of Japan. Even Italy has japonica rice fields but it's a different class all together.
snupples
Calrose is quite different than most Japanese rice, since it's a medium grain. If you've grown up eating rice in Japan, it's instantly noticeable. You can buy California grown Koshihikari now on Amazon, which is a much better substitute.
Aloisius
Akitakomachi is grown in California. It's what Lundberg Sushi Rice is.
daedrdev
Ive seen US grown hitomebore and koshihikari, the koshihikari even under the same brand as the Japaneses rice just with a product of USA label
xnx
$2.50/lb. in American
lofaszvanitt
End of times...
bbarnett
Arsenic in rice is on the rise. There is a chart in this article, on how to reduce that.
https://scitechdaily.com/scientists-find-new-way-of-cooking-...
numpad0
That method is for long-grain rice used in other parts of Asia, simply unfit for Japanese rice(or vice versa). It's just their highly British form of humor and customary jest.
I'd suggest Brits ban full leaved teas in favor of microwaved teabags while at it.
opan
>The PBA method involves parboiling the rice in pre-boiled water for five minutes before draining and refreshing the water, then cooking it on a lower heat to absorb all the water.
The fact the average Japanese person won't even consider trying imported Japonica rice from Australia or USA is madness if budget is a consideration.
But as someone who's tried many varieties of Japonica, there is a difference between the best Japan-grown rice and non-speciality rice grown elsewhere, as well as a difference between fresh (Japanese enjoy eating new rice, which is different from many rice-eating cultures) and old rice.
I pay somewhere around AUD$14/kg for Japanese rice in Australia, but I also don't eat it that often and I'm not that price sensitive.
But also, the average Japanese eats around 1kg of uncooked rice per week. That's ¥800 at the rates in the article (~USD$300/year). Japan's cost of living is generally pretty low, but I doubt +/- $100/year is effecting many people.