Mochi are Japanese rice cakes made of mochigome, a particular rice. The rice is pounded into paste before being molded into the desired shape. The creation requires a team of two pounding, flipping, and smashing the glutinous rice at high speeds in perfect coordination. The ceremony of their manufacture is called mochitsuki.

Master mochi maker Mitsuo Nakatani has 24 years experience, and is so fast, you must have to watch his incredible speed-baking in slow motion. He, truly, lends new meaning to the phrase fast food.

Hundreds of visitors come to Nakatani’s operation in Nara, southern Japan each day, to eat the best. But they stay to watch him turn sticky rice into deliciousness with an incredibly timed series of chops.

Dubbed the “Karate Cake Maker,” this video of extreme rice pounding excellence has gone viral.

An assistant softens up a bowl of rice with a massive wooden hammer, as Nakatani lands a series of lightning fast karate-style chops. A high speed replay shows the master lands three chops per second.

They work at incredible speeds, with every blow of the hammer putting the master’s hands at risk of being crushed. Trust, communication, and the kiais are key to avoiding potentially career ending injury.

“We pound the sticky rice very fast for about two minutes,” explains Nakatani. “That’s how we make it.”

“The key to be good at mixing is all about timing and trust in the guy who is pounding.”

“I live my life for mochi pounding.”

The product of Nakatani’s tremendous efforts is a smooth, fresh mochi rice cake, covered in a toasted soybean flour called Kinako. Nakatani says the happiest moment for him is when he sees the smiles of those who eat his remarkable product.

Store Information
Nakatanidou
Nara-ken, Nara-shi, Hashimoto-cho 29
Phone number: 0742-23-0141
Hours: 10:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Website