I received 5kg of Iris Ohyama's government stockpiled rice, 'Wa no Kagayaki,' so I tried it. What does the smell and taste of this 100% ancient, domestically grown rice look like?
In response to the price hike caused by the rice shortage, the Japanese government announced that it would sell stockpiled rice to private businesses through discretionary contracts. Various private businesses are selling old rice from the 2022 harvest. Iris Ohyama, a manufacturer of household goods, has also released a government stockpiled rice called ' Wa no Kagayaki 5kg ,' so we bought it and tried it to see what it tasted and smelled like.
[2022 harvest] Government stockpiled rice, Wa no Kagayaki, 100% domestically grown, old rice | Iris Ohyama official online store
Two bags of 'Japanese Sparkle 5kg' arrived at the GIGAZINE editorial department. I ordered it on the afternoon of June 10, 2025, and it arrived in the morning of June 18, 2025.
The bag is beige and opaque except for the '5kg' part. Under the name it says 'sealed fresh pack.' When I touched it, it felt much sturdier than the bags of Rakuten's government stockpiled rice '
Next to the label 'Sealed fresh pack' are the words 'Government stockpiled rice.'
The rice was milled on June 12, 2025, after the order was placed. The expiration date is June 12, 2026, exactly one year after the milling date.
The raw brown rice is 100% domestically produced. The government stockpile rice is a blend of 41 varieties .
I opened the bag and found that it contained an oxygen absorber, which I removed.
I scooped up some rice with a measuring cup. There was very little cracking or chipping.
To actually taste it, I decided to cook 3 cups of rice. I washed the rice 3 times, added water according to the lines on the kettle, and cooked it the same way I normally cook rice.
The rice cooker I used was a Toshiba
After 60 minutes, the rice was cooked. On the left in the photo below is Iris Ohyama's 'Wa no Kagayaki 5kg', and on the right is 'Rakuten Seikatsu Oen Rice 5kg' that was cooked just before with the exact same settings. The rice on the left is slightly glossier because it was freshly cooked, but basically there is no difference in appearance.
When you eat it, you can feel the aroma and flavor of the rice. The amount of water is as specified by the rice cooker, but the texture of the cooked rice may be a little hard. When comparing it with Rakuten Life Support Rice, there is almost no difference, and both are delicious. Because it can be cooked on the hard side, it has a strong flavor even when it cools down and does not become sticky, so I felt that it is suitable for bento boxes that are eaten after a while. The editorial staff who tasted it commented, 'I feel that the aroma and flavor of 'Wa no Kagayaki' is stronger. Is it because the freshness affects the taste, or is there a difference in the blend of varieties?', 'I can't feel any difference when I eat it, but if I had to say, 'Wa no Kagayaki' may be stickier.' 'When I compare the taste, I feel that 'Wa no Kagayaki' has a slightly stronger rice flavor. However, I can't say for sure whether it is due to the time difference from cooking or the difference in rice quality.'
The 'Japanese Sparkle 5kg' costs 2,000 yen (excluding tax), and you can apply for the lottery sale on Iris Ohyama's official website. The lottery is open to users who have registered as Iris Plaza members and subscribed to the e-mail newsletter, and the application period at the time of writing is from 12:00 on Wednesday, June 18th to 10:59 on Friday, June 20th.
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in Tasting, Posted by log1i_yk