Washing rice, at least in Japan, is probably a bit different than most people imagine. You first add water to your rice and stir it around. Then you discard t

Washing rice, at least in Japan, is probably a bit different than most people imagine. You first add water to your rice and stir it around. Then you discard the water. Next, using the palm of your hand you grind the rice in a circular motion. You have to press quite hard because you are trying to polish the rice and remove any oxidized bran from the outside of each kernel. This both improves the texture and flavour of the rice. Finally, you fill up the bowl with water, stir and dispose of the cloudy water. Repeat rinsing until the water is no longer cloudy. The whole process takes about 5 minutes and a good 5-6 times the volume of rice in water.