<Begin Segment 8>

TI: How about things like New Year's Day? What would happen on that day in the village?

TM: Well, the New Year's Day was a special day, but to prepare for New Year's Day, one of the highlight was to pound mochi so you pound enough mochi that you had for about even close to a month. And to pound the mochi, the village people got together. The women had a huge table where they processed the mochi, and the men pounded the mochi. And you had a huge mochi bowl and the mochi would be pounded in there. And about three pounders took turns going around, and surprisingly there was no accident. And the mochi were all different types. You could have plain mochi and mochi with beans in it. And the mochi with beans were really delicious because they were sweet. And they didn't last long, but the mochi by itself lasted quite long and after the New Year's the mochi could be fried and shoyu, pour on it, or sugar on it. So it was worthwhile pounding mochi.

TI: But you would do that, always like New Year's Eve, so the day before New Year's?

TM: Yes, New Year's Eve. So the day before New Year's --

TI: Before you go there, where would the mochi pounding be, would there always be a special place?

TM: Well, mochi's special place was right in front of my, actually my father's brother's, you know, my uncle's home. Because they had a flat area and they had that furo where you could, where you heat up the mochi. And a large table was set up and then a space to roam around.

TI: So they, in some ways I'm thinking about, so the furo, they kind of improvised to make that more of like a steamer area to steam the mochi and then they would pound it?

TM: Yes, it was a gathering day because the women gossiped and the men, of course, more reserved, but they could talk. And so it was a fun day.

TI: And so then that was New Year's Eve. Describe then the next day.

TM: Okay, the next day each family had enough food and it was an understanding that if you go to a particular home and say, "Happy New Year," you can go in and have food. They had the food for you, and you did the same with your home and so it was sort of a big affair where you had plenty of food from going from one home to the other. And for us, what was attractive was that on New Year's morning, we went down to my uncle's home and said, bid him Happy New Year, and he had a dollar (...) saved for each of us. And this happened year after year.

TI: Now was this just for his nephews or for all the village people?

TM: No, for us boys.

TI: Okay.

TM: His boys I don't think got any. [Laughs]

TI: So that was the first stop, to get the dollar. Interesting, and then were there like special foods that you really liked when... or were there certain families that were really good cooks that you liked to go to?

TM: Well, I think food was about the same, you know. Because I wanted the sweet foods so you had what they (called) kanten and yokan, which were actually sweet gelatin. And of course, the sweet mochi and drinks, soft drinks and meat, but you actually ate all day, it seemed like.

TI: I can just tell by your reaction, you have fond memories of that day.

<End Segment 8> - Copyright © 2011 Densho. All Rights Reserved.