Traditional Rice Cake Ceremony Held at Hikone Castle

A traditional rice cake ceremony was held at Hikone Castle in Shiga Prefecture, Japan, on Monday. The castle, a national treasure, hosted the event to distribute "kagami mochi," large round glutinous rice cakes.

Eleven members of the castle's management team divided two cakes, one weighing about 30 kilograms and measuring 50 centimeters in diameter, with staff members applying significant force to cut it.

The rice cake pieces, each about three centimeters long, were placed in paper bags stamped with Hikonyan, a popular local mascot.

These packets were then handed out to visitors at four locations, including the castle gate. A mother attending the event shared plans to serve the rice cakes in sweet red bean soup for lunch.

A castle official expressed hope for the castle to be listed as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site and for a return to pre-pandemic visitor numbers, aiming for around 800,000 visitors this year.