Mochi rice cakes are traditionally eaten at celebrations and at New Year, when mochi made with that year's rice are also used as decorations. People start the new year with a stew called zoni, made from local ingredients with mochi as centerpiece. New Year mochi decorations take a unique form in Takayama City, in Gifu, with Hanamochi, a custom that's been going over 450 years. Small pieces of mochi are wrapped on branches to emulate flowers in a tradition begun by local farmers as a prayer for family and good harvests. In a culture centered on rice, mochi remains a symbol of prosperity.

VIDEO BY MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF JAPAN