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Annual mochi tsuki event will be Saturday in Livingston

Sun-Star Staff
Stu Nakashima, center, presides over one of the two granite pounding bowls as Jim Bouse, right, and Takeo Kishi, left, take turns swinging nylon-tipped wooden mallets to pound sweet rice into mochi dough at the annual mochi tsuki event at Livingston United Methodist Church last year.
Stu Nakashima, center, presides over one of the two granite pounding bowls as Jim Bouse, right, and Takeo Kishi, left, take turns swinging nylon-tipped wooden mallets to pound sweet rice into mochi dough at the annual mochi tsuki event at Livingston United Methodist Church last year. Charles Guest cguest@losbanosenterprise.com

The sight of people swinging long wooden mallets to mash rice into a doughy mass in large granite bowls will be on display in Livingston on Saturday, as Livingston United Methodist Church holds its annual mochi tsuki (rice-pounding) event.

The event begins 10 a.m. at the church, located at 11695 Olive Ave. in Livingston.

Mochi is a traditional Japanese new year’s dish dating back more than 1,000 years and still enjoyed in Japan. But at United Methodist Church of Livingston, the treat is made each year in the traditional way, by hand. That doesn't happen much anymore in Japan, where most of the mochi is made by machine.

The mochi tradition in Livingston dates to at least 70 years to the Yamato Japanese farming colony, which was founded a little more than 100 years ago.

For more information about the event call (209) 394-2264.

This story was originally published December 26, 2014 at 5:43 PM with the headline "Annual mochi tsuki event will be Saturday in Livingston."

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