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I have spent most of my time in Japan being rather indifferent to rice in general, but over the past 4 years or so, I've grown to really like it's sticky quality and how well it goes with certain foods. I've also learned to cook it pretty well (and without a rice cooker, which I do not own). As a standalone side dish, it seems better than other types of rice.
While I don't eat it at every meal, or even necessarily every week, I do like it and I'll miss the easy access and relatively cheap price of Japanese rice.