Making Mochi During A Festival

Mochi is a type of Japanese rice, very chewy, and traditional sweets are made of it. It takes some effort to make it and it implies “team work” – at least two persons participating to the process of transforming the mochi rice into a paste. A large mortar is used. The rice is pounded with wooden mallets called kine in the traditional mortar, called usu. One person pounds the cooked rice and the other turns and wets it. The rhythm is steady and they must pay attention to avoid potential injury. These photos were taken in the precinct of the temple presented in yesterday's post.