New Year mochi rice cakesbr br 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.