Mochi Mochi: Specialty Hand-Pounded Strawberry Daifuku Mochi in Kyoto, Japan

Specialty Hand-Pounded Strawberry Mochi in Kyoto, Japan

by Mochi Mochi もちもち, Kyoto, Japan

Just a short walk from Kiyomizu-dera in Kyoto, Japan's historic Higashiyama neighborhood, Mochi Mochi is a small shop that consistently draws a crowd with its live mochi-pounding demonstrations.

Each day, the old-fashioned shop, housed in a narrow wooden shophouse, prepares mochi the traditional way. The rhythmic shouts of the workers and the gathered crowd caught my attention as I made my way down the busy street, and I stopped to take a look as well.

chocolate daifuku mochi with azuki sweet red bean paste and topped with a strawberry in Kyoto, Japan

Mochi is one of my favorite traditional Japanese sweets. Made from glutinous rice which is soaked, steamed, and pounded into a smooth, sticky dough, mochi has a soft, chewy texture and a mild, light flavor. When the mochi balls are filled with something sweet, typically red azuki bean paste, they are called daifuku.

Traditionally, mochi is made through a process called mochitsuki, in which the steamed rice is pounded by hand in a large wooden mortar with a mallet. One person pounds while another turns and wets the dough in a fast, rhythmic, and cooperative act that requires perfect timing. Though machines now make most mochi, some shops, like Mochi Mochi in Kyoto, still perform the traditional method as part of the experience.

each mochi at Mochi Mochi is made by hand in front of a crowd of onlookers

While most of the crowd at Mochi Mochi (a play on the phrase "moshi-moshi", which you say when answering the phone in Japn) has just stopped by to watch the show and see how mochi were made, we decided to order one and the entire staff shouted out their thanks to us as the mochi ball was formed, dusted with kinako (a nutty roasted soybean powder that complements the mochi’s natural flavor while removing the rice dough's stickiness), and topped with a fresh, sweet, and juicy strawberry.

At 1,000 yen per piece (around $8 at time of writing), the mochi is expensive, but it's delicious, perhaps the best mochi I've ever had. Each piece is big enough to share between two people, and the price is well worth it for the fun, high-energy mochi-pounding demonstration alone.

To me, it felt worth it seeing each mochi made by hand right in front of my eyes.

daifuku mochi at Mochi Mochi, Kyoto, Japan

Location

Mochi Mochi is located at 2 Chome-208-14 Kiyomizu, Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto, 605-0862, Japan. You'll pass by the shop when walking down the street after visiting the beautiful and world-famous Kiyamizu-dera Temple. You can't miss the crowds gathering around to watch the exciting and high-energy mochi pounding demonstration.

Mochi Mochi in Kyoto, Japan