After I had cake we did the traditional Japanese Isshou Mochi. Basically, babies are given about 2kg (4.4lbs) of mochi to carry on their back. Why? Well, the short answer is tradition. There are longer and more detailed explanations online. Putting the “why” aside, let’s look at the other Ws.
- Who: babies
- What: about 2 kg of mochi (equal to 1 shou) *Actually, we only used 1/4 of the mochi, so about 500g)
- When: first birthday
- Where: on their back
- How: very difficulty and with desperate cries of “why?” and being answered with “tradition”
So, as you can see, I was not a big fan of this tradition. Apparently almost all babies in Japan go through this. Not only was it heavy, I have never really worn a backpack before so I’m not used to it. I don’t particularly like surprises. Unfortunately, we didn’t really have time to help me get used to just the backpack because the order only arrived today. Still, considering the weight, pressure, and trauma of the experience, I think I bore it quite well. But I must admit, I prefer the birthday tradition where I get to eat birthday cake instead of have to carry rice cake.