Mochitsuki 2005 is on Sunday, January 30, 2005, 12:00 PM to 4:30 PM at Portland Community College, Sylvania campus, 12000 SW 49th Ave, Portland, Oregon.

Mochi Madness Performances
Storyteller Robert Kikuchi-Yngojo
Portland Taiko
Tanuki Taiko
Sahomi Tachibana Japanese Dance (1:00 only)
Fujinami-Kai Japanese Dance (2:45 only)

And Free Cultural Fair, running from noon-4:30 PM. Activities include Mochi pounding, ikebana, calligraphy, and hands-on activities for all ages! Food and drink will be on sale.

The centerpiece of this New Year's celebration is the making of mochi, or rice cakes. Mochi poundings at 12:30, 2:15, 2:45 PM. This ancient communal tradition brings families and friends together to share in the labor and auspicious bounty of the new year. Large, heavy wooden mallets are hoisted overhead to pound steamed sweet rice grains into a smooth, sticky dough. A cluster of nimble pinchers waits nearby to form the dough into round cakes. Many Japanese American families make sure to begin the new year eating mochi.

Two Mochi Madness performances at 1:00 PM and 2:45 PM. Tickets: Adults $10, Students/Seniors $7, Children $4. Call Safeway TicketsWest at 1-800-992-8499 to order today! (tickets subject to service charge, all sales final).