Mochi is well-known as an essential event food during the New Year’s season in Japan. As for types of mochi, these are often classified into the shape, for example pounded mochi rice shaped into slabs is called ‘noshi-mochi’, and when this is cut and divided up into blocks it is called ‘kiri-mochi'. Mochi that is plump in the middle and stretched into a semi-elliptical roll is called ‘namako mochi’ (namako is Japanese for sea cucumber), and that shaped into round balls is called ‘maru mochi’ (maru means round in Japanese). ’Kagami mochi’ (kagami is Japanese for mirror; and the shape of this decoration was thought to be similar to that of a copper mirror, which has religious significance and was considered a treasure in ancient Japan) is a traditional Japanese New Year’s decoration of a 2-layer tower made by placing a small round mochi onto a large round mochi. When classified by ingredients, there is kuromame (black bean), daizu (soy bean) as well as mame (bean) mochi. In addition there is mochi to which aonori (green laver), or sesame seeds, or even sakura shrimp is added. Furthermore there is also germinated brown rice mochi, which is just as its name states, mochi pounded out from germinated brown rice.