¡°Let¡¯s pass on the traditions to our children!¡± cheered the notice delivered to my doorstep. The black-and-white printed flyer informed the event details: ¡±Mochi-making. Outside the Public Hall, Dec. 8, 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.¡±
When I arrive at 8:25 a.m. on Sunday morning, the rice is already percolating away, threads of steam escaping from the sides of flat wooden boxes stacked three high and positioned over a small cauldron of boiling water.
The three island children are present, two of them running amok while their limp-limbed baby sister hangs from her father¡¯s child harness. Of the 20 or so bystanders, not all are islanders. Friends and family have come over to Shiraishi Island from the mainland to join in the festivities, including a few more children, which makes a total of six under the age of 12. An army of a dozen island wives outfitted in white aprons formed the ¡°women¡¯s club,¡± on hand to shape the mochi rice cakes.
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