Mario Kart

Last Tuesday was my last day of work before a long Christmas vacation. So Reiko commanded me to get Mario Kart Wii so I picked it up on the way back from work.

You control your kart by using the Wii controller. I was surprised how well it works and you forget you are actually using it. It's pretty slick.

Mochi Pounding (Mochi Tsuki)

Reiko's cousin Mariko and her husband Peter arrived in Japan last Tuesday so Reiko and I went with them to pound some Mochi at a nearby event that was taking place.

Mochi is a kind of soft food which is traditionally made from rice which is pounded with a large wooden hammer. The pounding action is much like kneading dough so on person has to knead the mochi while another pounds it.

Sometimes very showy people pound it very fast and as the one kneading has to touch the mochi in between hits it can be a bit dangerous.