Mochi-tsuki or Rice Cake Making

I took a picture of a mochi-tsuki event held at a nearby nursery school last month and sent it to a local newspaper. Then they put it in their newspaper on January 15. Mochi is a Japanese rice cake made from glutinous rice pounded into paste and molded into shapes. These days we use electric kneaders to make mochi at home or purchase it at a supermarket, but on that day kindergarten children enjoyed mochi-tsuki or rice cake making in a traditional way by pounding steamed rice with a mallet in a mortar with the help of their teachers. Mochi is a traditional food for the New Year.