USAF, JASDF come together for annual mochi pounding ceremony

USAF, JASDF come together for annual mochi pounding ceremony

Japan Air Self-Defense Force Col. Hiroyuki Ishii, Operations Support Wing commander, delivers opening remarks during an annual mochi pounding ceremony at Yokota Air Base, Japan, Dec. 14, 2023. During his remarks, Ishii expressed hope that the ceremony would deepen the relationship between the U.S. and Japan, helping the two countries overcome hardships together. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Natalie Doan)

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USAF, JASDF come together for annual mochi pounding ceremony

U.S. Air Force Col. Andrew Roddan, 374th Airlift Wing commander, delivers opening remarks during an annual mochi pounding ceremony at Yokota Air Base, Japan, Dec. 14, 2023. During his remarks, Roddan expressed gratitude to Japan Air Self-Defense Force Col. Hiroyuki Ishii, Operations Support Wing commander, for inviting members of Team Yokota to the ceremony and reaffirmed his belief that the U.S. and Japan would continue to work closely together to strengthen their relationship. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Natalie Doan)

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USAF, JASDF come together for annual mochi pounding ceremony

A volunteer wearing a happi uses a mallet to pound mochi during an annual mochi pounding ceremony at Yokota Air Base, Japan, Dec. 14, 2023. A happi is a short, lightweight Japanese coat worn over regular clothes to protect them from getting dirty. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Natalie Doan)

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USAF, JASDF come together for annual mochi pounding ceremony

A volunteer uses a mallet to pound mochi during an annual mochi pounding ceremony at Yokota Air Base, Japan, Dec. 14, 2023. Mochi sounds similar to the Japanese word “to hold” or “to have,” so it is eaten in the hope of gaining good fortune throughout the new year. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Natalie Doan)

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USAF, JASDF come together for annual mochi pounding ceremony

Members of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force transfer mochi onto a tray during an annual mochi pounding ceremony at Yokota Air Base, Japan, Dec. 14, 2023. The tray is coated with “mochiko,” a sweet rice flour, to make the sticky mochi easier to handle. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Natalie Doan)

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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)

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USAF, JASDF come together for annual mochi pounding ceremony

Leaders from the U.S. Air Force and Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) pose for a photo during an annual mochi pounding ceremony at Yokota Air Base, Japan, Dec. 14, 2023. The JASDF Operations Support Wing hosted the event and invited members of the 374th Airlift Wing and Fifth Air Force to usher in the new year through the Japanese tradition of mochi pounding. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Natalie Doan)

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USAF, JASDF come together for annual mochi pounding ceremony

Aoi Nagasaki, Japan Air Self-Defense Force Operations Support Wing liaison, plays the koto during an annual mochi pounding ceremony at Yokota Air Base, Japan, Dec. 14, 2023. The koto is recognized as the national instrument of Japan and has been popular from the earliest periods of Japanese musical history to the present day. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Natalie Doan)

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USAF, JASDF come together for annual mochi pounding ceremony

Aoi Nagasaki, Japan Air Self-Defense Force Operations Support Wing liaison, plays the koto during an annual mochi pounding ceremony at Yokota Air Base, Japan, Dec. 14, 2023. The koto is played by plucking the strings with the thumb and first two fingers of the right hand, which are fitted with ivory plectrums called “tsume.” (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Natalie Doan)

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USAF, JASDF come together for annual mochi pounding ceremony

Japan Air Self-Defense Force Operations Support Wing members conduct a jukendo demonstration during an annual mochi pounding ceremony at Yokota Air Base, Japan, Dec. 14, 2023. Jukendo, which translates to the "way of the bayonet," is a Japanese martial art similar to kendo. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Natalie Doan)

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USAF, JASDF come together for annual mochi pounding ceremony

Japan Air Self-Defense Force Operations Support Wing members conduct a jukendo demonstration during an annual mochi pounding ceremony at Yokota Air Base, Japan, Dec. 14, 2023. Jukendo has its roots in both traditional Japanese schools of spearmanship and Western bayonet combat. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Natalie Doan)

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USAF, JASDF come together for annual mochi pounding ceremony

Attendees watch Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) Operations Support Wing members conduct a jukendo demonstration during an annual mochi pounding ceremony at Yokota Air Base, Japan, Dec. 14, 2023. The event united members of the U.S. Air Force and JASDF as they participated in and observed various Japanese traditions, reflecting the enduring friendship between the U.S. and Japan. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Natalie Doan)

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Members of the U.S. Air Force and Japan Air Self-Defense Force came together for an annual mochi pounding ceremony at Yokota Air Base, Japan, Dec. 14, 2023.

The event was designed to reflect the enduring friendship between the U.S. and Japan as attendees took part in the Japanese tradition of “mochitsuki,” the pounding of rice to make mochi, in the hope of gaining good fortune in the coming New Year.