2022 Annual Japanese New Year Tradition Event Mochi Pounding Tradition! (Omochitsuki) - Asian Art MuseumNEW

Celebrate the Japanese New Year event with Kagami Kai, an acclaimed mochi group, as it presents the colorful and exciting New Year tradition of mochi pounding to make delectably sweet rice cakes, with lively music, energetic dance and traditional attire.

We invite our blind and vision-impaired community members to engage in a tactile experience as part of this annual celebration.

Join us for a touch tour of the equipment Kagami Kai uses to pound mochi and receive priority seating for the celebration. A descriptive tactile and storytelling tour of the newly renovated Japanese galleries follows. Pre-registration is required for these special tours. Email [email protected] to reserve a spot.

As part of the day, paint a Year of the Rat netsuke (charm) and fold paper cranes for luck and prosperity in the new year.

Free with general admission
First-come, first-served
Pre-registration required for tactile tours only

Netsuke Painting
11 am - 2 pm

Mochi Pounding Celebration
12 pm - 1 pm

Tours
11:30 am: Touch tour (preregistration required)
01:00 pm: Descriptive and tactile tour (preregistration required)

Pre-registration is only required for tactile/touch tours for the blind and vision-impaired community. Netsuke painting and mochi pounding are first-come, first-served with no advance reservations.

The Asian Art Museum is committed to making its events accessible to all. This event is wheelchair accessible and assistive listening devices (ALDs) will be provided. ASL interpretation or open captioning are available upon request; please email [email protected] two weeks prior to the event to request an interpreter.