USAF, JASDF come together for annual mochi pounding ceremony
U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Robinson Matammu, left, Fifth Air Force chief of air defense liaison, molds rice dough into round mochi alongside members of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force at Yokota Air Base, Japan, Dec. 14, 2023. Mochi has been eaten in Japan around the start of the New Year since at least the Heian period, which took place between 794 and 1185. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Natalie Doan)