A quality and sensory test for foreign-produced rices were compared with Japanese rice in order to use them more appropriately.
1) In the protein content of each rice flour, Japanese rice flour was littlest at 5. 7 %. Properties of Amylograms for each rice flour, Japanese rice flour was lowest viscosity and its showed that changing viscosity increasing temperature was slightly. Four rice flour and starch include of Japanese rice was similar characteristics of DSC, but Thai rice flour was much different.
2) Rice granules were classified to three groups by each shape. Rate of water absorption after cooking become littler in the order, Thai rice, California rice, Japanese rice, Australia rice, and Chinese rice.
3) Japanese cooked rice was much adhesive, but smooth taste in the mouth. California cooked rice was harder than Japanese one, but other texture properties was similar to Japanese one.
4) The sensory evaluation demonstrated that two pairs of Japanese cooked rice-California one and Thai cooked rice-Australia one had a very similar properties.

View full abstract

The year's fortune-tellings with rice in Mie prefecture are investigated and the relation between them and rice cultivatian is researched in this paper.
1. The range of the year's fortune-tellings with rice extends from Yokkaichi to Matsusaka and this region doubles a rice-producing district in the Ise Plains.
2. The objects of this divination are almost early-, middle-, and late-ripening varieties of rice plants. In a few cases, wheat, adzuki beans and vegetables are also added to them.
3. The divination has been taken shape as folklore festivals on Ko-Shogatsu, the new year's day according to the agricultural calendar, and afterwards, it also has become a Shinto rite such as praying for a fruitful year.
4. In some areas, they divine with adzuki beans and rice gruel. We suggest that this has a relation to the custom of eating adzuki beans and rice gruel, and ‘zenzai’, sweet adzuki soup with pieces of rice cake, and to pray health and happiness in the new year on Ko-Shogatsu.

View full abstract