Mochi Pounding

In December and January many communities around Japan have Mochi pounding festivals and we were lucky enough to be invited to participate in a few this year. So, what is mochi, you ask. It is pounded rice and I mean literally pounded. The process begins outside with a big batch of rice being cooked over an open fire and then poured into a big stone bowl. The rice is then kind of mashed a bit with a big wooden hammer. Then up to 4 people gather around the bowl and pound the heck out of the rice with the hammers. Every once-in-a-while they stop to dip the hammers into water since the rice gets really sticky. After the rice is pounded it is put onto a floured table where it is pulled into small balls and shaped into little patties. Usually the women and children do this task. Sometimes a bit of anko or bean paste is added to the middle of the patty giving the mochi a sweet taste.