Luck, longevity, fertility, and health—just a few of the Japanese symbols for mochi that make it an important part of this traditional New Year's soup.
Luck and longevity—these are just two of the qualities associated with mochi, the soft and chewy Japanese rice cakes made from short-grain, glutinous rice. Each member of the mochi family is rich with symbolism. Sakura mochi—stuffed with red bean paste and wrapped in a salted Japanese cherry leaf—has become a symbol of spring, whilemochi—a three-layered diamond in pink, white, and green—celebrates Japan’s “Girls' Day” by representing fertility and health .
While there are many possible seasonings for ozoni, the biggest divide is between Kyoto's Kansai-style, known for its creamy white broth flavored with its famousmiso, and Tokyo's Kanto-style, which pulls in salty umami from soy sauce, resulting in a beautiful, amber-toned soup. Historically, however, all mochi was round—contemporary Kansai-style mochi still are. “You need to eat it quickly,” Kyoguku tells me, “or else the mochi binds to each other. My sibling and I would fight over it since there’s only one to three per big bowl!”
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