Rinse your rice with clear water to get rid of excess starch. It will prevent the rice from sticking too much and you will get rid of the rice smell. Rinse rice 3-4 times until water is clear and then strain.
Place rice into cooking pot and cover with water quantity mentioned in the ingredients. Leave rice to soak for about 15 minutes.
Cook rice in the same pot with the same water. Cook first on high heat for 10 minutes, then turn down a slow flame and cook for anotehr 12-15 minutes.
Leave the rice to cool for about 15 minutes after cooking. There shouldn't be any water left in the pot because the rice absorbed it.
Prepare the vinegar seasoning by combining vinegar with the brown sugar and salt.
Keep a handai or large flat container ready and place still hot rice into that container.
Pour vinegar seaosning over the rice and mix with a large peddal or spoon. Spread out the rice so that it cools too. You can use the help of a fan too while mixing it all in the container.
Cover and/or wrap cooled rice with a clean wet kitchen cotton cloth (muslin or cheese cloth).
Use it to make sushi or store as per instructions in the post.
Video
Notes
Adjust the water quantity to your needs. Dry rice requires 4 cups of water with 3 cups of rice. In Japan, the ratio tends to be 3 x 3. Check out the rice package instructions to get the water quantity right. Not all rice brands are the same.
Sugar Salt and vinegar balance each other in the recipe. It adds flavor and gives the rice a nice shine.
For flavored kombu version see post for instructions.