Don't forget the sushi-ku! One of the required elements of successful sushi, a signature part of Japanese food, is sushi vinegar -- sushi-ku. To make it yourself, mix rice vinegar, salt, and sugar in a pan, then cook it on low heat until the sugar dissolves. After it cools, mix it into your sushi rice.

Traditional sushi rice is medium-grained, white rice that sticks together when it cooks. American long-grain rice tends to be inappropriate for this Japanese food dish, since it's been engineered, over the decades, to be drier than medium-grain rice, and not to stick together.

It's best to use a fan as you mix the rice for your Japanese food. Not only will is this the most effective way to cool and dry the rice, it will leave it looking attractively shiny. Don't be too vigorous with the mixing, so that you can avoid smashing it. Once you're done, try to use it as quickly as possible.