I like the recommendations that are coming out of this discussion. In the case of Uchida in the pot, even when the soil is bone dry, that bone dry soil does an excellent job of preventing dehydration. Especially at temperatures of 50'F where metabolism is very, very low. As far as breaking dormancy or starting to grow a little early, that point or date is in large part a function of the bulbs internal time clock that by now is set to your area and your culture techniques. So whatever date it started to grow last spring, it will be nearly the same next spring.
Now, one thing that I do when I store established bulbs in a cool room is to give each pot about 8 ounces of cold water per gallon size somewhere around mid term like mid January. This gives the bulb a brief hydration refreshment and the remainder of moisture is usually evaporated within a couple days. But I'm not making this recommendation to you and your Uchida, Mary, unless Rick concurs because he knows a whole lot more about Uchida and species needs than I do.
Your fortunate to have Uchida growing successfully. In my opinion, it's one of the prettiest lilies on earth. I was fortunate to get two as part of a 'get well' package a year ago and mine are growing well here. So, take good care of that one.
