Tokyo a la Mode. Web Magazine for Japanese Fashion and Urban Culture

Mochi-tsuki

By Bobby / Dec 26, 2007
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New Year’s Day is the biggest holiday in Japan.  One of my favorite traditions is mochi-tsuki, the making of mochi by pounding steamed sweet rice with a wooden mallet.  It’s a real community ritual that brings together family, friends and neighbors.  If you really want to get a truly Japanese experience, try joining in a mochi making event--everyone is welcome to try!

Mochi-tsuki involves strength, timing and teamwork.  Usually it’s one person who does the pounding, but sometimes up to three people will work together in rhythm.  There is also a person who flips the mochi around.  This person has to be really brave because he risks getting fingers smashed if he is too slow.

Here’s a video of mochi making pros on a TV show:

Here’s a video of the kind of mochi-tsuki you will find throughout Japan:

Mochi is eaten many ways.  During mochi-tsuki, some of the freshly made mochi are made into balls that are rolled around in kinako, a powder made from soy beans and consumed right away.  Some people take the mochi home and add it to ozoni soup.  The soup helps to soften up mochi that has hardened.  I enjoy eating mochi that has been toasted up over an open flame and dipped in a mixture of sugar and soy sauce.  mmm, oishikatta! 

While many people enjoy eating mochi during the holidays, sadly, a few people, usually the elderly, die from choking on the sticky rice treat around New Year’s.  Believe it or not, it’s been recommended to stick a vacuum cleaner hose in the mouth of a mochi choking victim to suck the obstruction out.  So chew carefully!  Or at least have a vacuum cleaner nearby.

If you can’t find a mochi-tsuki gathering around your neighborhood, you can make your own mochi cake using “mochiko” or sweet rice flour, found in most Asian sections of your local supermarket.  For some good recipes, check out the Koda Farms website.