Virtual Mochitsuki New Year’s Celebration

Mochitsuki is an annual holiday in Japan featuring rice-pounding to create mochi, a special kind of rice cake dough used to make sweets. This year, Mochitsuki returns in an exciting online format to guarantee safety while delivering on this classic New Year's tradition. Viewers will enjoy music performances, a mochi-pounding demonstration, kakizome (the first calligraphy of the year) and a unique video from Hiroshima.

Special Guest:
This year's Mochtitsuki will feature NYC-based Rakugo performer Ken Saito, who will perform in English for this special occasion. Ken Saito first debuted in Manhattan in 2018. He has since then performed Rakugo at numerous special occasions.

Rakugo is a form of Japanese comedic storytelling that emerged over a hundred years ago. In Rakugo, the comic sits on a stage and uses only a small paper cloth and fan to tell long, comedic stories.

Lucky Bag
Fukubukuro, or "Lucky Bag," are available for purchase this year due to the shift to online programming. Fukubukuro are ready for pick up now. There are only 50 bags for each set and availability is on a first-come, first-served basis.

Mochi set for 2 ($25) includes:
-Kagamimochi (traditional New Year's mochi)
-Dashi (Japanese stock made from fish and kelp)
-Soybean Powder
-Red Bean Paste
-Seaweed
-2021 Japanese Zodiac (Ox) chopsticks

Activity set ($15) includes:
-Omikuji (traditional fortune-telling)
-Japanese toys
-Origami + Origami Book
-Calligraphy Pen
-Japanese New Year Game