While a lot of Americans typically celebrate the New Year watching “The Ball” drop on TV and toasting with friends and family, the Japanese celebrate in their own unique way.

It’s a tradition called mochitsuki. This ceremony involves pounding rice with a wooden mallet to make mochi, a Japanese gel-like rice cake served as a dessert. Mochi is believed to bring good health and prosperity for the New Year.

Marines, sailors and families with 7th Communication Battalion joined with staff and residents at the Hikarigaoka Nursing Home Jan. 16 to participate in a mochitsuki ceremony. They took turns pounding the rice in cadence to make enough servings for everyone there.

The ceremony represents the strong relationship between the home and the Marines, according to Capt. Jason E. Misner, the company commander with Headquarters Company, 7th Comm. Bn., III Marine Expeditionary Force Headquarters Group, III MEF.

“The relationship between 7th Comm and the nursing home goes back more than 20 years,” said Misner, from Tucson, Arizona. “We want to build friendships with them and this is one of the ways that we go about doing that. They share something that’s very traditional to them like this rice pounding, and then we turn that friendship back around and we come out for Thanksgiving dinner and Christmas caroling. It’s a two way street.”

Experiencing the ceremony is a rare experience, according to U.S. Navy Lt. Andrew Burns, the chaplain with the battalion.

“Personally, my experience with Japan is for the most part during my commute to and from work each day,” said Burns, from Mount Desert, Maine. “Just to be able to be exposed to some of their practices, cultural differences and also similarities really helps us to gain a respect for our host nation.”

The locals embraced the experience as warmly as the visitors, according to Ayako Ginoza, the facility manager for Hikarigaoka.

“I’m very happy to share our celebration with the Marines, sailors and family members of 7th Communication Battalion from Camp Hansen,” said Ginoza. “It’s a great blessing for the residents of this facility to get to see Marines and sailors mingling with the locals and also see their kids giving such enthusiasm to the event.”

As the New Year is now underway, this event showed promise for a bright future and a continued relationship between the battalion and the nursing home.

“It’s a new year for 7th Comm and it’s a new year for the nursing home,” said Misner. “Hopefully we’ll have another bountiful year together.”

Read more: http://www.dvidshub.net/news/152802/marines-pound-rice-ring-new-year-with-local-friends#.VMfTw3Z6c-5#ixzz3Q3Hxnsnb