Classic and standard Japanese songs celebrating mochi pounding
When you think of New Year’s or the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival, some people might picture mochi.
During the New Year, many households display kagami-mochi and have plenty of chances to eat mochi, and around moon-viewing season, there’s even the saying that rabbits are pounding mochi on the moon.
In this article, we’ll introduce a wide selection of songs related to mochi! From songs that sing about mochi, to hand-play songs themed around mochi pounding, and even folk songs about mochi that have long been rooted in local regions—we’ll cover it all.
Take this opportunity to give them a listen.
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Classic and standard Japanese songs about rice-cake pounding (31–40)
Wonderful cultureAbe Yuma
Mochitsuki, the traditional Japanese rice-cake pounding deeply connected to New Year’s and the moon-viewing festival, is the theme of this song that celebrates the beauty of that culture.
Included on the album “Fantasia,” the track was released in June 2021.
It portrays the bonds formed through mochitsuki and the joy of taking action together.
True to Abe’s style, it features simple, heartfelt melodies that flow naturally.
It might even make you think, “Maybe it’s time to try mochitsuki again.”
mochi poundingTeraoka Daigo
This is a mochi-pounding song born from the Nursery Rhymes and Folktales Hometown Project, which conducts community revitalization activities in Hachioji, Tokyo.
It was created by Daigo Teraoka, a composer and voice trainer.
The piece sets music to a poem by Uko Nakamura, who wrote the lyrics to “Yuyake Koyake.” The story describes mochi being pounded from the early morning hours, and the protagonist waking up to the sound.
It evokes images of traditional life and, as you listen, brings on a strangely nostalgic feeling.
Banzai for kagami mochi!Murayama Yukiko
This song that plays at supermarkets at the end of the year—some of you might be thinking, “I’ve heard this before!” It’s an original track produced by the Japan Kagami Mochi Association, which promotes the offering of kagami mochi.
On the association’s website, they share not only New Year’s content but also various rituals and traditions related to kagami mochi.
The song itself is very bright, has a great tempo, and is super catchy—honestly addictive (lol).
Once you hear it, you can kind of sing along the next time… it’s the kind of tune that loops in your head.
Delicious ways to enjoy leftover mochimachi akari
This song is about ways to use up leftover mochi.
It’s included on the album “Akari Oneesan no Niko-Niko Henna Uta,” released in September 2019.
The unique lyrics and melody leave a strong impression.
It introduces various dishes made with mochi, but in the end, you can’t finish them and get tired of it—that’s the story.
The jazzy style and Akari Machi’s mature vocals that express this are, in a sense, chaotic.
If you’re looking for unusual music, give it a listen.
rice cake poundingIsobe Shū
The children’s song “Omochitsuki” evokes the scene of family and relatives gathering at the end of the year to prepare New Year’s mochi by pounding rice together.
There are other mochi-pounding songs, like ones for the moon-viewing season, but they still strongly conjure the New Year.
This song, too, conveys the cheerful atmosphere of everyone pounding mochi together in the chilly year-end weather.
The onomatopoeia of the mochi pounding is especially fun, and once you sing it, it really sticks in your head—you can’t help but hum along.
Adding gestures and turning it into a hand-play song would surely make it even more enjoyable.