During their stay in Shimoda, Americans were invited to join the Japanese in their daily activities and festivals. Here we see an American sailor participating in a Japanese tradition of making sticky rice cakes, or mochi. The job of the man to the left is to turn the glob of sticky rice every so often as it is being pounded. The tricky part is to turn the rice quickly so as not to interrupt the rhythm of the man doing the pounding and not to get your hand in the way. The timing is important so the ritual usually involves singing to establish a proper beat. The Japanese lady in the background is dancing along with the music. The two cultures drew closer together at times like this.

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