Mochitsuki Matsuri

The Japan-America Society of Dallas/Fort Worth begins each year with a Mochitsuki New Year's festival. We've attended several years in a row, both as audience members and as volunteers, but this year was Rai's first year to celebrate Mochitsuki with us. The three hour festival includes drumming performances from Kiyari Daiko (a local drumming group), a rice pounding (mochi) demonstration, traditional music performances (this year featuring shakuhachi and koto), performance by the Cherry Blossom Chorus (Japanese school girls' choir) mochi tasting, children's games, and calligraphy.

Rai sat in the chairs long enough to watch Kiyari Daiko, but he was a bit squirmy by the end.


We tried the machine-made mochi, and Rai discovered that real mochi isn't the sweet red bean mochi we often get at the Japanese grocery store. I think he was expecting something much sweeter; although, he did like the red bean paste.

He enjoyed watching the mochi pounding demonstration and seemed eager to try give mochi a second try. Unfortunately, he wasn't prepared to have a handful of mochi given to him. (It's VERY sticky and difficult to get off of your hands or anything else it touches.)


Although most of the children's games were for older children, Rai got the hang of this game and paused long enough to pose for the photographer at the event. (I'll post a link if they include his picture on their website.)


Here is Rai kneeling at the Shinto shrine offertory box.


And here is Rai waiting to meet Ozeki-san, the calligrapher. I met Ozeki-san at an Eastfield College event we organized several years back and have tried to keep up with her each year since then. She was delighted to meet Rai and tried to teach me how to write his name in Kanji. (I'll spare my mom the embarrassment of my poor calligraphy skills and just show the kanji character.) 雷