At least nine people have died after choking on mochi rice cakes. ... Japanese holiday snack mochi rice cakes is a deadly tradition. Mary Kinney. Updated July 14, 2016 at 10:32 PM.

But in Southern California, both commercial and community mochi makers say demand for the seasonal rice cakes has dropped significantly. In Little Tokyo, owners of century-old Japanese sweet shops ...

The most recognizable rice cake in the West is Japanese mochi, but there is a wide and wonderful world of Asian rice cakes, all possessing symbolic meaning in the context of Lunar New Year.

Every year, Japanese authorities warn people to cut mochi into small pieces before eating it. The Tokyo Fire Department even has a website offering tips on how to help someone choking on the rice ...

Holiday Rice Cakes Prove Deadly. January 2, 2003 / 10:26 AM EST / AP ... Every year, a handful of mostly elderly Japanese suffer after getting "mochi" rice cakes stuck in their throats.

Japanese men pound steamed rice into a mochi rice cake to celebrate the New Year at the Kanda shrine in Tokyo on January 1, 2016. Two people have died out of a total 15 who ...

Two people have died in Japan and several are in a critical condition after choking on traditional rice cakes as part of the new year celebrations. They may seem harmless, but each year the hard ...

Two people died in Tokyo after choking on a popular New Year’s sweet — a sticky rice cake called mochi. On New Year’s Day, a Japanese man in his 50s died after choking on mochi, F… ...

Our reviewer has never encountered a more expansive offering of these squishy pastry desserts than at this spot. It’ll cure ...

9 Have Died From Mochi Rice Cakes in Japan. by Clarissa-Jan Lim. ... According to the mochi trade association, the average Japanese person consumes about one kilogram of mochi every year ...