SoraNews24 —Japan News—

Bringing you yesterday's news from Japan and Asia, today.

RocketNews24 Japanese

Featured

The fastest mochi maker in Japan reveals secrets of his technique【Video】

PoundingMochi11

The man who kneads rice at incredible speeds of three hits per second lets us into his world and tells us why he lives for making mochi.

Mitsuo Nakatani has been pounding mochi sticky rice in his shop, Nakatanidou, for 23 years. Located in Nara, the master mochi maker attracts huge crowds whenever he and his colleagues make a new batch of green-coloured mochi, putting on an incredible display of synchronised hand-and-mallet pounding at such high speeds that the process whirls by the naked eye in a wondrous blur. We were amazed by his skills when we saw him at work in his store last year, and now he’s returned as the star of a brand new video that gives us an insight into the man himself and the amazing technique and passion behind his craft.

The video gives us an introduction to the importance of mochi in Japanese culture, which is eaten at times of celebration, especially during the New Year period.

The type of mochi Nakatani specialises in is yomogimochi, mochi mixed with mugwort, which gives it a distinctive green colour.

The process that transforms the glutinous rice into chewy “cakes” is called “mochi-tsuki”. The special technique requires two people to work together, with one turning, moistening and hand-pounding the large ball of sticky rice in a wooden bowl, while the other hits the mound full-force with a mallet.

Nakatani uses a “high-speed mochi-tsuki“, where he works at amazing speeds of three poundings every second.

Working at such high speeds, with every pounding putting his hands at risk of being crushed by the force of the mallet, trust and communication between workers is key to avoiding injury.

The co-ordinated shouts allow the workers to work in sync with each other at incredibly high speeds, and their fast work and amazing display of prowess is testament to their years of experience and practice.

The end product is a smooth, fresh mochi rice cake, covered in kinako toasted soybean flour, which draws customers from all around Japan and brings smiles to everyone who visits his store. Nakatani says this is the happiest moment for him, when he sees the happy faces of those who eat his handmade product.

To see the short video in full, check out the clip below.

Store Information
Nakatanidou/中谷堂
Address: Nara-ken, Nara-shi, Hashimoto-cho 29
奈良県奈良市橋本町29
Phone number: 0742-23-0141
Hours: 10:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Website

Source: Youtube/Great Big Story, Gigazine
Top Image: Youtube/Great Big Story
Screenshots: Youtube/Great Big Story

Follow Oona on Twitter for more news on traditional Japanese culture and customs.

Like this:

Like Loading…

Related Stories

Trackbacks

  1. There are no trackbacks yet.
  2. Trackback URL

Trending Today

  1. Japan ends tax-free shopping system for foreign tourists, new refund request system now in effect
  2. Beautiful Ghibli diorama kits lets you build anime characters’ homes inside yours [Photos]
  3. Japan’s TeamLab digital art group is opening a permanent museum in America
  4. Japan’s mini Shikoku Pilgrimage walking tour left us feeling immensely satisfied
  5. This hot spring near Osaka’s Kansai Airport resolves the pick-two-out-of-three bathhouse dilemma
  6. Starbucks Japan invites us to par-tea with its new Earl Gray Frappuccino [Taste test]
  7. Family Mart releases 47 convenience store socks and stickers, one for every prefecture in Japan
  8. Tokyo Skytree set to offer breathtaking Diamond Fuji natural phenomenon view this month
  9. Shoplifting prevention guard arrested for shoplifting boot from store he was guarding
  10. This semi-secret, totally free footbath in downtown Tokyo is completely awesome

© SoraNews24 —Japan News— / SOCIO CORPORATION

Powered by WordPress VIP

%d