About us
the rice factory London
Founded on a simple belief: that everyone, wherever they live, deserves access to real Japanese rice — freshly milled, honestly sourced, and priced fairly.
Our Philosophy
Sharing real Japanese food culture
We want people outside Japan to discover the rice Japan is genuinely proud of, and to help spread an accurate understanding of Japanese food culture along the way.
Supporting Japanese people abroad
For those living far from home, we want to make the rice of their childhood available at a fair price — a small taste of home, wherever they've settled.
We didn't start exporting rice because Japan had a surplus. We started because these two things mattered to us.
From Farm to Table
We're not just an exporter — we design the entire journey from harvest to the dinner table.
Step 1
Sourcing
Rice sourced from farmers and producers across Japan, including our own agricultural company, dedicated to growing rice for export.
Step 2
Milling
Milled locally at our overseas sites, so every batch reaches customers at peak freshness.
Step 3
Retail & Education
Rice, sake, and Japanese foods sold directly, alongside efforts to share Japanese food culture.
Step 4
Dining & Experience
Restaurants and events that bring customers into direct contact with the product and the culture behind it.
In 2017, we founded our own agricultural company in Ina, Nagano, dedicated to rice grown specifically for export — designing the value chain from the ground up rather than simply buying and shipping.
Our Global Journey
2009
Opened our first milling site, in Hong Kong
2011
Opened a milling site in Singapore
2013
Opened a milling site in Taiwan; founded Wakka Japan
2015
Opened a milling site in Honolulu
2017
Founded our own agricultural company in Ina, Nagano
2018
Began exporting to Ho Chi Minh City
2019
Opened a milling site in New York
2022
Opened “the rice stand,” an onigiri shop in Hong Kong
2025
Opened milling sites in Los Angeles and London
2026
Opened a milling site in Auckland, New Zealand
What began in Hong Kong in 2009 has grown, over the years, into a presence across nine locations worldwide.
the rice factory London
Opened in Park Royal in 2025, bringing that same philosophy to the UK: rice milled to order, in-store, from paddy to plate. Rice arrives from farms across Japan — Hokkaido, Niigata, Nagano, Yamagata, and beyond — shipped via reefer container to Southampton, stored in temperature-controlled conditions, and milled fresh for each order.
We work directly with the farmers behind each variety, from Watarai-san in Yamagata, who cuts pesticide and fertiliser use by more than half compared to conventional farming, to Hosoya-san in Nagano, a PhD researcher applying natural cultivation methods to Kamiakari rice. Protecting their livelihoods is part of our job, not an afterthought.
What People Say
“The shop feels like stepping into a Japanese film. The freshly milled rice is warm and fragrant, wrapped as carefully as a gift.”
“I bought a warm tuna onigiri — nothing like the cold, packaged kind. Fluffy, comforting, and honestly moving.”
“Everything — the rice, the onigiri, the barley tea — was delicious, and the staff were wonderful.”
Visit Us
the rice factory London
Unit 5B, 9 Lakeside Drive, Park Royal,
London, NW10 7GL
