Explore everyday life in Japan

Mochi Maki

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It began with a relatively empty arcade and a few red carpets placed on the ground. It was clear to anyone passing through the area that, soon, something would happen.

Slowly, curious passersby began to stop and gather. Three crowds of expectant people formed around the three red carpets that were evenly spaced across the length of the arcade. No one, however seemed to know what exactly was going to take place.

As they waited, stools were brought out before the steadily growing crowds and were placed in single rows on the rear edges of the carpets. The stools seemed to suggest that a performance of some kind might soon take place.

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Then men with megaphones began giving directions not to stand on the sides of the red carpets, and large cardboard boxes were carried from a van that had been parked a little further off near the arcade’s entrance.

Not long after, a group of girls dressed in kimono came along and took up positions behind the stools. Then some well-to-do and important looking men filed in front of the girls and stood somewhat confusedly awaiting directions. A few of the kimono-clad girls opened the cardboard boxes revealing a variety of snacks and candy, and, suddenly, the mood of the three small crowds changed. Everyone became excited.

A mochi maki event! Or something similar, at least.

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Mochi maki is an event that isn’t very common in Japan anymore. In nine years, this is only the second time that I’ve ever seen one, and the first time that I’ve seen one take place in public. The first mochi maki that I attended was held at a private house. There, scaffolding was erected, and the men of the house climbed to the top deck and rained rice crackers, chocolates, candy bars, bags of potato chips and much more down onto the gathered spectators.

The family that held the mochi maki owned a construction company. To celebrate their success, they invited all of their past employees and customers out to an annual barbecue where they carried on this slowly disappearing tradition, a tradition which used to be held after the pole beam had been raised and the roof put in place on new houses and buildings.

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How common an event mochi maki used to be, I can’t say. Traditionally, though, mochi was apparently thrown down from the newly built rooftops into the gathered crowds. The people in the crowds would then, as they do today, get a little wild while doing their best to pick up and receive as much mochi as they could.

As I’ve said, I don’t know how common mochi maki used to be, but it most certainly isn’t a part of everyday life in Japan these days. What is, however, typical of life over here, is that you never know exactly what kind of event you may happen upon while taking a typical family walk through an arcade or around town.

Image Credits: All images in this post are original.

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This is an ongoing series that will explore various aspects of daily life in Japan. My hope is that this series will not only reveal to its followers, image by image, what Japan looks like, but that it will also inform its followers about unique Japanese items and various cultural and societal practices. If you are interested in getting regular updates about life in Japan, please consider following me at @boxcarblue. If you have any questions about life in Japan, please don’t hesitate to ask. I will do my best to answer all of your questions.

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If you missed my last post, you can find it here Culture Shock.