Nikkei Women Legacy Association and friends kicked off Mochi Madness at Fugetsu-Do in Little Tokyo. To promote multi-generational participation, NWLA members brought their nieces and daughters to join in the Madness.

Volunteers gathered Dec. 28, 29 and 30 to assemble mochi packages for New Year’s celebrations. The multigenerational groups shared community spirit throughout the three days with three shifts each night from 8 p.m. to 10 a.m. the next day.

Just like his father and grandfather before him, Brian Kito grabs a steaming, two-pound blob of rice and, in a matter of seconds, crafts it into a smooth bun. Now Kito’s son Korey represents the fourth generation of the family that has owned the business since 1903.

Long-time employee Jose Lopez makes okasane mochi: large, double-decker pieces of steamed, kneaded rice. When topped with a dainty tangerine, the mochi is said to symbolize the new year and a hope for prosperity.

It is a task the Kito family has dutifully performed for decades, helping supply Japanese Americans in Southern California with the many holiday variations of mochi, one of Japan’s culinary delicacies. It is available as komochi (small pieces) and can be made from organic and brown rice.

Other specialty items for the new year include kuri and kaki yokan, kuri kinton and an mochi, all packaged for delivery to Southland stores for Oshogatsu observances.

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