Japanese rice pounding gets popular

Sick of ringing in the new year with a glass of champagne and a noisemaker?

Mitsuwa Marketplace is hosting its annual "Rice Pounding" ceremony all day on New Year's Day.

The annual mochi tsuki -- or traditional rice pounding ceremony -- will take place at 1, 2, 3 and 4 p.m. on New Year's Day at the marketplace at Arlington Heights and Algonquin roads in Arlington Heights. The free event is open to the public, said Atsu Tatsuki, a Mitsuwa Marketplace spokesman.

"New Year's Day is a very important family holiday in Japan," Tatsuki said. "It's like Christmas or Thanksgiving for people in the United States."

Mochi is a traditional Japanese rice cake made of glutinous rice. On Tuesday, it will be pounded into a paste and molded into shape. Mochi is very sticky and can be eaten several ways with a variety of seasonings. At Mitsuwa's ceremony, samples include azuki (red bean) and kinako (soybean flour).

Pounding the rice symbolizes longevity in Japan, Tatsuki said. The rice is pounded for about 10 minutes and then flavored. Samples will also be passed out, he said.

During the ceremony, everyone is welcome to join Mitsuwa staff to pound the rice and shout Japanese cheers. The equipment used to pound the rice is very heavy and not sold at many places in the U.S., Tatsuki said.

In addition to the mochi tsuki ceremony, Mitsuwa will sell a variety of other traditional Japanese foods specifically prepared for New Year's Day.

Mitsuwa has been hosting the rice pounding ceremony in Arlington Heights for about 10 years. More than 100 people attended last year's event.

When the event started, only Japanese Americans from mostly Chicago attended. In the past few years, more and more Americans have stopped by, Tatsuki said.

"Americans seem to really like this event," he said. "It's a great time for kids and families."