Japanese rice refers to a number of short-grain cultivars of Japonica rice which are grown in Japan The two main categories of Japanese rice are ordinary rice ( uruchimai ) and glutinous rice ( mochigome ). Ordinary Japanese rice, or uruchimai ( 粳米 ), is the type most commonly grown, and is the staple foodstuff of the Japanese diet. It consists of short translucent grains. When cooked it has a somewhat sticky texture such that it can easily be picked up and eaten with chopsticks .