TOKYO, JAPAN – USA Rice participated in the first American-style festival held here last week, an event organized by the U.S. Embassy/Agricultural Trade Office to highlight American food and beverage culture. The festival focused on promoting U.S. meat, craft beer, and other iconic American foods—including U.S. rice—to Japanese consumers.
During the opening ceremony, U.S. Ambassador George Glass delivered remarks in which he specifically recognized U.S. rice. He also visited a food truck on-site to sample gumbo prepared with U.S. medium grain. The event provided an excellent platform to showcase rice as an important U.S. agricultural export to the Japanese market.
“USA Rice welcomed the opportunity to serve as a supporting organization and coordinated U.S. rice menu offerings for our dedicated food truck,” said Steve Chu, USA Rice Asia promotion director. “The featured dish, a gumbo made with U.S. medium grain rice and U.S. sausage, was a huge hit and sold throughout the festival.”
U.S. rice exports to Japan are up 26 percent in the first eight months of this year compared with 2024, at 302,860 MT versus 240,503 MT. Japan is currently the second largest export market for U.S. rice.