Hello!
It is less than a month till the end of 2019 – right after Christmas，it’s time to usher in the new year! While you may relate New Year celebrations with countdowns and parties, the Japanese New Year is often a large family affair with many unique traditions.
One of the most well-known is probably mochi-tsuki (rice cake making). Rice is placed in a stone or wooden mortar and pounded with a pellet until it comes together to form a large, sticky rice cake. It is an event ubiquitous to the Japanese New Year – mochi-tsuki events can be found all over Japan, and are venues for people to congregate and welcome the New Year with a hearty atmosphere.
Mochi-tsuki can be a physically demanding task, which is why there are household electronics to help.
Compact and convenient, it is a popular choice for households. All you have to do is place the rice in and wait!
Another well-known tradition is omikuji, where people draw lots to have their fortune told. Often seen at shrines, you shake the wooden box until a colour-marked stick falls out. You receive a corresponding paper slip depending on the colour that tells your fortune!
There’s also the tradition of kagami-biraki, where sake (Japanese rice wine) is placed in a taru (barrel) like one below.
Wooden mallets are used to hit the surface of the taru, resulting in a situation like the one below sometimes!
All the above mentioned products can be found in Event21’s rental lineup!
Contact us for more details, or simply check out our website for more products in our lineup!
