Happy New Year!

There are a number of traditions for ringing out the old year and ringing in the new. Among the most physically taxing (for ordinary people, university students have a mountainous marathon relay on the first) is making sticky rice cakes called mochi.

Step one (following the cooking of the rice, that is), mash the mochi rice.
Step two, pound the rice like your hammering rocks on a prison chain gain.

Happy Holidays!