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Every year, on New Years Day, a handful of Japanese people die eating mochi. Mochi = sticky rice cakes, most often eaten with either red bean, kinako, or soy sauce and nori. If you don't chew well enough, it can get stuck in your throat and obstruct breathing.
It's a persistent national problem that the country somehow hasn't figured out how to fix.
This year's count: 5
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In 2008, Chronicle published my book: Urawaza: Secret Everyday Tips and Tricks from Japan.
I am also the founder of The Tofu Project, a boutique program that helps Japanese entrepreneurs and creators think deeper, tell better stories, and go out into the world in a much bigger way. We work with companies like Mixi, Japan Airlines, and Salesforce.com.
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I survived! Shoved down some mochi with soy sauce and nori last night. It's great with Hansu. I love that stuff. Where's my beer?
Posted by: vagrant | January 03, 2008 at 11:59 PM