Grains ── Rice varieties
Fufufu
Toyama's heat- and disease-resistant new brand
Said to have been bred by Toyama for heat and disease resistance and launched in 2018, with firm grains and sweetness that hold up when cooled. Its name is said to stack three 'fu' characters from Toyama, reflecting the prefecture's full commitment.
What it's made of
Said to resist the chalky grains that heat can cause even in hot years, cooking up glossy and translucent. Said to carry strong sweetness balanced with stickiness and umami, and to resist blast disease well enough to be grown with less pesticide. Said to carry a rich aroma when freshly cooked, its body and sweetness said to deepen with each chew. Said to hold together well even when cooled, suiting bento use too. Also said to be a popular choice as a gift.
How it's made
Said to have started research in 2007 at a Toyama prefectural technology center, crossing several Koshihikari-derived lines in 2012, passing through line selection in 2014, and filing for variety registration in 2016 — a prefectural brand rice bred with warming and disease resistance in mind. Selection is said to have weighed not just taste but also resistance to blast disease and lodging.
Why it took this shape
Its name, read 'fufufu', is said to layer the sound of a happy sigh after a meal with three sources of 'fu' (abundance): Toyama's water, land, and people (its farmers). Developed with the prefecture's full backing and launched in 2018, it's said to be positioned as a new pillar of Toyama rice, drawing on snowmelt from the Tateyama mountains. Growers within the prefecture are said to undergo cultivation training as part of a system meant to keep quality consistent. Shipments beyond Toyama Prefecture are also said to be growing year by year.
Before you go
- Foods to look for in autumnA guide to foods often seen in Japan around autumn — returning bonito, Pacific saury, new-crop rice, matsutake, chestnuts, and tsukimi dango — with rough pointers for finding them.
- Regional harvest food festivalsAcross Japan, harvest festivals and "taste festivals" featuring local produce and seafood are said to be commonly held each autumn, with stalls selling new rice, seasonal fruit, and local dishes.
Dishes in the same style
- AkamaiAn ancient category of rice said to carry a reddish bran layer; low-yielding but tied, it's said, to Shinto harvest rituals still kept at shrines like those on Tsushima. Traces of red rice are said to have been found at Jomon- and Yayoi-era sites, making it among Japan's oldest rice lineages.
- AkitakomachiA Koshihikari cross bred for Akita's cool climate, said to carry a lighter sweetness and moderate stickiness, long favored as an everyday table rice. Named, it's said, after the legendary beauty Ono no Komachi, it ranks among Japan's most widely planted varieties.
Ingredients and dishes from this land
Known source
- Known source: Toyama
Said to be Toyama's brand rice, developed with the latest breeding methods.