DFW Celebrates Japanese’s Mochitsuki

Richardson, TX (AsiaWorldMedia.com) –  The Japan-America Society of Dallas/Fort Worth celebrates the 14th Annual Mochitsuki New Year on Sunday, January 19, 2014, in Richardson. Mochitsuki or Mochi, often translated as Japanese Rice Cake, is a traditional Japanese New Year celebration at the start of the New Year. The community comes together to pound sticky rice into a paste, which then gets molded into shapes for consumption, usually shape of a sphere or cube. Though eaten year-round, mochi is a special New Year’s treat.

This 14th year’s celebration welcomes community members, like Don Casey – President of the Japan-America Society of Dallas/Fort Worth and guests with mochi pounding demonstrations by Mark Berry and Machiko Kanda. Students and volunteers performed classical dance and sang Japanese songs on the front stage, while guests line-up to taste Japanese traditional foods and desserts. Many booths, like Origami, Kakizome and games, were setup to entertain the children.