International Students Try Rice-Cake Making

Posted on March 12, 2012

A traditional Japanese rice-cake making event, “mochi-tsuki,” was held on January 13th at Saga University International House. Approximately 70 international students and staff from the International Student Center, including its director, Dr. Teruyoshi Yanagita, gathered for the enjoyable event.

The event was planned by the Center, using glutinous “mochi” rice grown in the Field Science Center of the Faculty of Agriculture. The students were able to experience the traditional way of making rice cakes by using a Japanese hearth to steam the rice and wooden mallets to pound the steamed rice in a stone mortar.

After pounding the rice, the students shaped the rice “dough” into small, round rice cakes, which they then ate with anko, (sweet red bean paste), kinako (soy bean powder), or seaweed.

The Japanese New Year’s tradition of rice-cake making was a new experience for many of the international students. One of the students said that working together to make the rice cakes was a lot of fun, and the mochi were soft and delicious.