Let’s get one thing straight: the brightly coloured, shelf-stable sweets at supermarkets aren’t mochi. The real thing is almost impossible to find in Australia.

In Japan, bobtail cats are considered good luck, and Nagasaki is the place to find them. They are known as “omagari neko (bent-tail cats)” or “kagi neko (hook cats)” and have their own society of ...

Mandarin oranges are typically placed on a mirror rice cake, also known as Kagami mochi, during the Lunar New Year. When toppling the pair of stacked round rice cakes, the Japanese usually use either ...

Ferrero mochi bomboloncini. Lam’s recipe is a reinterpretation of her mom’s jian dui, which also makes an appearance during the new year. “These fried sesame balls are typically served at ...

The Wallens usually celebrate Japanese New Year with ozoni, a Japanese soup featuring rice cakes (mochi) and vegetables. Wallen said the festival’s traditional dances are a unique draw too ...

Eating mochi on and around the New Year is supposed to bring prosperity, good fortune, and longevity, according to Japanese tradition. The National Police Agency and the Fire and Disaster ...

Mochi is a staple of the Japanese New Year's holiday menu and is often eaten in a savory soup called ozoni. Emily Anderson, a curator at the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles ...

What the sticker actually represents is a kagami mochi, a traditional Japanese New Year's decoration. Reddit user Merynpie shares an image of the treat from Wikipedia, and it does look remarkably ...

HILO, Hawaii (KHON2) — For many Japanese families, mochi pounding is a New Year’s tradition as it is meant to bring good fortune and longevity. One Hilo family has been doing it for a century.

Living in Hawaii, the traditions of the local people are so ingrained in many homes and you don’t need to be Japanese ... On New Year’s Day, traditional foods such as “ozoni” mochi soup ...

Head to Japan Village for some Japanese New Year’s traditions! The afternoon starts with a traditional musical performance, followed by a Sake barrel breaking ceremony, lion dancing, and mochi ...