Mochi
Mochi is glutinous rice steamed and pounded into a smooth, extremely stretchy mass. It is eaten grilled and dipped in soy (isobe), in sweet red bean soup (zenzai), rolled in roasted soybean flour (kinako), or as the shell of daifuku. Despite the name it contains no gluten, but its stickiness is a real choking hazard — every New Year, hospitals treat cases, mostly elderly. It is not sweet on its own.
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ABOUT
Mochi is glutinous rice steamed and pounded into a smooth, extremely stretchy mass. It is eaten grilled and dipped in soy (isobe), in sweet red bean soup (zenzai), rolled in roasted soybean flour (kinako), or as the shell of daifuku. Despite the name it contains no gluten, but its stickiness is a real choking hazard — every New Year, hospitals treat cases, mostly elderly. It is not sweet on its own.
DIETARY NOTES
General guidance for the standard version of this dish. Recipes vary by shop and region — always confirm with the restaurant if you have an allergy or a religious dietary requirement.
COOKING CLASSES & EXPERIENCES
Hands-on classes and food tours featuring Mochi, booked through GetYourGuide (free cancellation up to 24h before on most).
CAN’T GET IT WHERE YOU ARE?
Fresh wagashi like Mochi are hard to find outside Japan. Bokksu ships a curated box of Japanese snacks and sweets — often including mochi, dorayaki and dango — to your door every month, with tasting notes on what’s inside.
See Bokksu’s Japanese snack box ↗DETAILS