Happy New Year!
Christmas is a great time to be in the U.S., but I like to be in Japan at the New Year. I always go to a temple in Nagoya at the end of December and help them make “kagami mochi.” They let me bring rice and make my own rice cakes, too. We steam the rice over a fire, and when it is ready, we put it into a stone mortar and pound it with a wooden pestle. Everyone is welcome, and the temple serves freshly-made rice cakes with sweet beans, bean powder, or soy sauce to all the visitors. It is a very Japanese event, but at the same time it is very international. Some foreign students from Nagoya University come for the experience. This time, I met people from Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Indonesia, and Namibia. (137 words) You can send me a comment or story at jaremaga@gmail.com