Tuesday, January 13, 2026
Kagami mochi is the rice cake in which the New Year deity quietly resides. The Kagami-biraki ceremony is a ceremony of gratitude in which a small portion of the deity's divine power is shared.
The crimson color of azuki beans has been believed to ward off evil spirits since ancient times, and it is imbued with prayers for good health, safety in the home, and a harmonious and peaceful year.
A piping hot zenzai soup filled with plumply baked mochi rice cakes.
The sweet warmth is complemented by the sourness of salted kelp and pickled plums, and the subtle variations in flavor seem to teach us about the richness of everyday life.
The refreshing Kurosengoku Tea Jelly gently envelops your hot body. The sourness of the yogurt, the aroma of Kurosengoku soybean flour, black sesame seeds, and almonds, and the garnish of iced mandarin oranges are like a tiny sun shining in the winter sky.
Warm and cold, sweet and salty... May happiness spread quietly and gently like ripples from a dining table where all these things are in harmony...
I will eat this with a heartfelt prayer that the world may be enveloped in a peaceful and serene light.
Kagami mochi is filled with pure energy to live in the new year, red beans that ward off evil spirits, and Kurosengoku soybeans are brimming with vitality, and the mochi zenzai is made with boundless love, gratitude, and prayers.
Other photos
Related articles
🖋️ Content planning, article writing, photo selection, and video creation: Ikuko Terauchi
Photography, editing, and website management: Noboru Terauchi
