Jun 11, 2025 12:40:00

We tried Rakuten's government stockpiled rice 'Rakuten Lifestyle Support Rice 5kg,' which can be purchased for around 2,000 yen for 5kg, to check its taste and smell.

The Japanese government, concerned about the rising prices of rice due to the shortage of rice,

announced that it would sell government stockpiled rice to private companies through discretionary contracts. Rakuten then sold this government stockpiled rice as ' Rakuten Life Support Rice '. It sold out in just 10 minutes after orders began being accepted at 12:00 on May 29, 2025, but the editorial staff of GIGAZINE also managed to purchase it. It finally arrived, so we cooked it and tried it.

Rakuten decides sales policy for government stockpiled rice | Rakuten Group, Inc.
https://corp.rakuten.co.jp/news/press/2025/0529_01.html

5kg of Rakuten Lifestyle Support Rice arrived at the GIGAZINE editorial department wrapped in a cardboard box.

Purchase limit is two bags per person.

The rice bag is translucent and the label looks like this. The raw brown rice is 'Multiple raw rice, 100% domestic (100% in fiscal year 2022)'.

The rice is scheduled to be milled in early June 2025, which means it was milled just before being bagged.

The rice grains look like this. There are very few cracked or chipped grains.

First, I cooked two cups of rice in a rice cooker. Since it is not pre-rinsed rice, I rinsed it with water as usual.

After rinsing three times, I used the same amount of water as I normally use when cooking rice, following the instructions on the kettle.

This time, I used a Toshiba rice cooker called the

RC-18VGD . I set the mode to 'White Rice/Kamado Master' and started cooking.

After an hour, it was cooked.

Once served in a bowl, the rice hasn't fallen apart and the grains are perfectly set.

When you eat it, it has a slightly harder texture and less stickiness than new rice. However, it is cooked properly and has a sweet taste when you chew it. There is no unpleasant odor, and it is at a level that can be eaten as a regular meal without any problems. The editorial staff who tried it gave comments such as 'The smell is not a problem at all, and the taste is delicious with a sweet taste that comes out when you chew it,' 'I think it will taste better if they adjust the cooking method and the amount of water,' 'The texture is firm, so it is better than packaged rice,' and 'The rice is a little hard, so it would go well with fried rice.'

Rakuten's government stockpile rice 'Rakuten Life Support Rice' is priced at 2,138 yen (tax included) per 5kg bag, and each person can purchase up to two bags. According to Rakuten, ' Due to limited stock, we may temporarily stop accepting orders when we reach our sales and reservation limit, but we will resume sales as soon as stock is replenished .'

[Rakuten Market] [Special Product] Rakuten Lifestyle Support Rice (5kg): Rakuten 24
https://item.rakuten.co.jp/rakuten24/2105019000015/