2 die in Tokyo from choking on 'mochi' on New Year's Day
TOKYO: It is an annual tradition in Japan, eating sticky rice cakes or "mochi" on New Year's Day. But every year, a handful of elderly people die from choking on the cakes.
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| Glutinous rice is steamed, pounded with mallets and formed into small cakes and then eaten during the New Year holiday in Japan. (Photo: AFP/Stan Honda) |
This year, two men in Tokyo - aged 60 and 81 - died. Thirteen other people were treated in hospitals, reported NHK on Tuesday (Jan 2).
It's a habitual problem, so much so that every year, Japan's emergency services warn people to cut the glutinous rice cakes into smaller pieces and chew them slowly.
About 90 per cent of deaths by choking on mochi each year occur among the elderly, according to the Tokyo Fire Department.
The number was particularly high at the turn of 2014 to 2015, with nine fatalities in Japan.
Mochi is usually baked, grilled or served in broth with vegetables and other delicacies.
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