Japanese New Year Festival “Mochitsuki” will be celebrating its 25th Anniversary virtually in 2021!
After the discussion about possibly taking a gap year, the planning committee strongly felt it needed to continue supporting the community, especially now. Therefore, we have been busy working to make it possible and an event for all individuals and families to enjoy.
Mochitsuki will be celebrating throughout the entire month of January!
Beginning with the first shrine/temple visit on January 1st, various videos and photos including cultural performances, demonstrations, New Year trivia segments (with prizes), and much more will be released daily on our social media platforms (YouTube, Facebook, Instagram) which viewers will also be able to find on the official Mochitsuki website. Fresh mochi will be available at the Uwajimaya store in Beaverton every Saturday in January and participants can also order crafts from vendors and food from participating Japanese restaurants through featured links on Mochitsuki’s website. All of these festivities will conclude on January 31st from 1pm-2:30pm with a historical recap of Mochitsuki and a livestream Q&A with headlining artist, Elena Moon Park.
Elena Moon Park is a musician, educator, and producer living in Brooklyn, NY., specializing in contemporary classical and family music. She is also the co-Artistic Director of the Brooklyn-based arts organization, Found Sound Nation, which uses collaborative music creation to connect people across cultural divides. Elena will present special New Year’s and Japanese songs for this year’s Mochitsuki celebration.
2020 has been a challenging year for everyone. But there is also so much to be grateful for. We are grateful to have a community that cares for and supports one another. We hope we can all make Mochitsuki 2021 a wonderful celebration and the start of a new and prosperous year!
Presented by Portland Chapter Japanese American Citizens League. Co-produced by Portland Taiko, Konko Church, Japanese American Museum of Oregon, and PSU Institute for Asian Studies. Sponsored by the Consular Office of Japan in Portland and the Japanese Ancestral Society.