In this scene we see that the Japanese common people were prepared to include Americans in their every-day rituals and that Americans were willing to join in. We see here an American sailor with mallet pounding out glutinous rice cakes, or mochi, in the large mortar. The job of the second man is to turn the glob of glutinous rice every so often as it is being pounded. The tricky thing is to turn it 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. Can you guess what the Japanese lady in the background is doing? Mochi is often associated with the New Year's celebration in Japan and with other holidays. While the lunar New Year fell later than the January 1 date we normally associate with New Year, it is not clear whether the mochi being pounded here is for that event or for another holiday. Events such as this broke down the cross-cultural barriers that separated Japanese from Americans.

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