People swinging a heavy wooden mallets to pound sweet glutinous rice called mochigome into mochi. The cooked rice is dumped into the usu, or mortar made of stone. The hot cooked rice is then pounded with wooden mallets called a kine. The pounding is done with enthusiasm and force until the mass of rice is smooth, shiny and pasty. The pasty rice is then shaped into round pieces or mochi which literally means “round rice.” and set aside to cool and then eaten. Traditional Japanese event done on New Year ’s Eve to ensure good luck.
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