Otokoyama Haisuiike Park + Making Mochi (餅つき)

Saturday: Otokoyama Haisuiike Park

From our apartment balcony we can see a hill in the distance. We wanted to have a more relaxing weekend in Himeji and take a break from traveling. We decided to check out the hill we've been looking at for four months now. It is called Otokayama Haisuiike Park. In order to reach the top you have to climb about 200 steps. Blake likes to take me to places with lots of stairs. Once you reach the top you get a nice view of the city and Himeji Castle. There weren't a lot of people at the top but there were some areas to have a picnic up there when the weather is much better.

Sunday: Motchitsuki (餅つき)

 

Mochitsuki (餅つき) is a Japanese New Year's tradition to make mochi (rice cake). Mochi is made by pounding sweet rice. One person swings the wooden mallet while the other person keeps turning the rice until the mochi is smooth. Once the rice has been pounded it is made into smaller bun-shaped pieces. It can be eaten once it has cooled down. We made three types of mochi. One was mochi with red bean paste inside, the other was just pure mochi, and the last one was mochi wrapped with seaweed and soy sauce. You can easily buy mochi at the store or make some with a mochi-making home appliance if you don't want to do it the traditional wooden mallet way. I know what I'm asking for next Christmas: a mochi maker machine for the New Year.