On Jan. 1, a man in his 80s went into cardiac arrest after choking on mochi while eating a bowl of “zoni,” a traditional New Year soup, at his home in Hino. A man in his 70s was rushed to a ...

Production of hana-mochi traditional New Year’s decorations is now in full swing in the Hida region of Gifu Prefecture. In the old days, when fresh flowers for the festive season were hard to ...