Serious Eats
In Videos: Pounding Mochi
Pounding mochi, or cakes made out of glutinous rice, is a traditional New Year's activity in Japan. After the jump, watch these expert Japanese mochi pounders alternate hitting the mochi with a ginormous wooden mallet and turning and wetting the mochi by hand at breakneck speed without smashing any human bones. [via Cha Xiu Bao]
Pounding Mochi
Related
Mochi [Wikipedia]
Mochitsuki: A Japanese Custom
Snapshots from Asia: Muah Chee (Chinese Mochi)