Book Review Part 3

<Red Rice>

It is said that red rice was introduced from the Asian Continent to Japan in some scholars' opinions. Red rice has special ceremony's values and now it is treated like this. Japanese tradition have a custom that people eat red rice in auspicious occasions. The custom came from the beginning of eating red rice. 

 

<Favorite Types of Japanese Rice>

After the amount of consuming rice is decreasing rapidly, Almost of Japanese became to prefer types of rice that is produced in frigid climates like Niigata and Tohoku region. There are two popular brand of rice; Koshihikari in Niigata and Sasanishiki in Miyagi and Yamagata. Next, they buy Akitakomachi  in Akita. The taste of two types were developed in the Meiji Period. Today, rice Japanese identify as comes from Tohoku region where rice farming was spread finally in Japan. Japanese rice means white rice today and it has been polished for a long time. However, Scholars insist that Japanese began eating white rice while Genroku and Kyoho Periods which is between the end of seventeen century and the beginning of eighteen century. Therefore, the custom of eating white rice is a new phenomenon. Before this period, Japanese usually eat unpolished rice (genmai). But, orientation toward health became high and some of them started to eat genmai. Likewise, similar phenomenon was happened in America and some prefer to eat the dark bread. 

After reading the fact that Japanese prefer the rice in frigid climates like Niigata and Tohoku region, I noticed it firstly. Certainly, I have an image that people make more tasty rice in frigid climate. In particular, Koshihikari in Niigata is very famous brand of Japanese rice and of course the price is high. Niigata is a heavy snowfall area. Also, there is heavy snowfalls in Tohoku region. Not only I but also other Japanese feel them like me. 

I knew that the general public in Japan eat unpolished rice (genmai) a long time ago. When I was a high school student and I studied Japanese history, I learned that common people eat genmai and nobles eat white rice. Thus, I heard that the life span of common people is longer than nobles.