Ordinary Japanese rice, or uruchimai (粳米), is the staple of the Japanese diet and consists of short translucent grains. When cooked, it has a sticky texture such that it can easily be picked up and eaten with chopsticks. Outside Japan it is sometimes labelled sushi rice however, sushi rice is prepared differently and the recipe can be found here. It is also used to produce sake.

the prices can really vary when buying rice as many prefectures in Japan. Toyo Rice Corporation set a Guinness World Record in 2016 for the world's most expensive rice with its $109 per kilogram Kinmemai rice.

Glutinous rice, known in Japan as mochigome (もち米), is used for making mochi (餅) and special dishes such as sekihan. It is a short-grain rice, and can be distinguished from uruchimai by its particularly short, round, opaque grains, its greater stickiness when cooked, and firmer and chewier texture.

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