Life at Yale SOM: Japan Club Hosts Mochi-Tsuki at Yale SOM

This week, students had the chance to wield a 10-pound hammer while helping to create a traditional Japanese delicacy, courtesy of the Yale SOM Japan Club. 

The club hosted a traditional Japanese mochi-tsuki (rice cake making) ceremony. In the ceremony, usually held in preparation for the New Year, mochi is made by pounding sticky rice in a large stone bowl with the hammer. It takes about 15 minutes of pounding for a batch of the rice to be ready to be formed into cakes; they’re then dipped in soy sauce or dusted in a sweet topping.

Two representatives from Japan’s Rokusei Co., president Hidetoshi Karube and general manager Yasutaka Asano, described the rice industry in Japan and demonstrated the mochi-tsuki process before inviting students to take part.