Two interesting things:

You can buy rice from vending machines-- like those large-sized vending machines for purified water in Canada. I haven't tried one yet-- they look intimidating.

I can't buy brown rice-- I can't find it in Tokushima. It's considered 'low class', and the bulk of it is reserved for prison inmates; it's served as a form of punishment. (At least the prisoners are likely to be regular!)