In Nara, Japan, the award-winning Nakatani-dou rice cake shop makes traditional Daifuku mochi, Japanese rice cakes, in a big way: They dramatically knead the dough with large wooden hammers until it’s completely mixed and smooth.
As seen in this clip from Lens on Japan, the dough pounding is a practiced process that relies on the artisans knowing their role in the rhythm so that hammers and hands don’t collide. No doubt, the vocalizations help organize their rapid turn-taking in mochi preparation.
Daifuku mochi is a traditional Japanese confection made with a center of sweet red beans. It can come in a variety of colors and fillings (including ice cream). The green mochi color seen here comes from Japanese mugwort or yomogi.
We love how things are made in Japan and everywhere else. Watch this next: How to make Totoro Steamed Buns.
This Webby award-winning video collection exists to help teachers, librarians, and families spark kid wonder and curiosity. TKSST features smarter, more meaningful content than what's usually served up by YouTube's algorithms, and amplifies the creators who make that content.
Curated, kid-friendly, independently-published. Support this mission by becoming a sustaining member today.