(Otsukimi:お月見 Japanese Moon Viewing Festival

Chu-shu no Mei-getsu (中秋の名月) 

“Chu-shu” means “middle of autumn”  and “Mei-getsu” translates to “bright moon.”

Normally the full moon is called Mangetsu (満月) in Japanese and only the one in September is called Chuushuu no Meigetsu (the harvest moon).

The night of the full moon in September is also known as Juugoya (十五夜), which means the the 15th night of the of the traditional lunar calendar. The lunar calendar was based on the phases of the moon, while the new calendar is based on the phases of the sun. Therefore, in the new calendar, Jugoya is generally celebrated from mid-September to early October rather than the original August.

Moon Viewing Tsukimi (月見) or Otsukimi (お月見) is a seasonable activity to enjoy the (full) moon.
‘Tsuki’ means moon and ‘mi’ is short for (miru) which means to view in Japanese. Otsukimi (tsukimi) is said to have originated among the nobles of the Heian period when they held banquets while appreciating the moon by admiring the moon reflected on the surface of  water or in a sake cup. This custom eventually became popular among the general public and continues to this day. The word Otsukimi has now come to refer to the entire celebration related to the Harvet Moon in Japan.

The day of the “Harvest Moon”, traditionally marked the start of the annual harvest. Where rice is hugely important to the history, culture, and economy of the country, since ancient times there has been festivals all over Japan to thank the deities for the rice crop harvest and praying for a successful year to come.

The moons round shape is the symbol for fertility and at this time people prayed for a good harvest. Traditionally offerings are made of seasonal produce like chestnuts “kuri”, persimmon “kaki”and pumpkin “kabocha”. Another offering is taro potato “satoimo” and this autumn moon is even referred to as imo-meigetsu “Taro Harvest Moon.” 

Rice dumplings (dango balls) are made representing the full moon, and on this day, Tsukimi Dango (月見団子) are displayed by stacking fifteen rice dumplings in a special pyramid arrangement on a Shinto offering tray called “sanbou”. Here I have displayed uncooked rice dumplings as an offering display, as they sit on top of each other easily. The top two dango are made with pumpkin and are said to represent the glowing harvest moon.

Eating cooked variety of these are considered auspicious and are said to bring health and happiness . Tsukimi Dango can be displayed along with decorations such as pampas grass (susuki) ススキ. Susuki are believed to protect against evil spirits. Also Stems of pampas grass, which resemble the ears of rice, are thought to be a dwelling place of the deities. Place them on a table with your other offerings near a window from which the moon can be seen.

Another symbol of Tsukimi is the rabbit.

Japanese people say they see the shape of a rabbit pounding mochi with a mallet in the moon, unlike others that may see a face in the moon often referred to as the man in the moon. In Japanese folklore it is said the rabbit lives on the moon making mochi and there is an ancient Buddhist tale and even a children’s song behind it.

The tale in short tells how a rabbit offered himself up as food when he had nothing to offer a beggar. Little did he know the beggar was “Taishakuten” commander of the four heavenly kings. The old man revealed himself as a god and moved by the rabbits selfless act drew an image of the rabbit on the moon so the whole world could be reminded that hope for a better tomorrow is possible through generosity and selflessness.

What do you see when you look at the moon?

Around this time you might even come across some cute rabbit themed snacks and you might see rabbit decorated ceramics or crafts displayed in the home along side offerings.

Here I have wooden balls displayed to look like dango in my tearoom, along with rabbit themed furoshiki.

Let’s make tofu dango for the moon viewing festival.

In my recipe I’m using the soft “Shizenno Megumi” Organic Tofu by “Dragonfly foods” a subsidiary company of “Hikari Miso”. The authentic soft textured tofu called “Kinughosi Tofu” in Japan achieves a softer but chewy dango and adds sweetness without adding sugar.

You will need a pack of “Shizenno Megumi” organic soft tofu, you will also need Shiratamako (白玉粉) – Japanese short-grain glutinous rice flour, also known as sweet rice flour. Shiratamako can come in quite large chunks so it is advisable to grind them down into more of a powder.

First drain your tofu from the packet and wrap gently in kitchen towel to soak up any excess liquid. Unwrap the tofu and add to a large bowl and mash the tofu, then take out two tablespoons, you can use this in a smoothie or dessert later, or make extra pumpkin dango with extra  shiratamako.

Add one tablespoon at a time of shiratamako and start to combine it cream the tofu adding more until it forms into a stiff dough (people say to think of what an ear lope feels like and this is what dango should feel like when you press it). I like to add it in stages like this so you get the correct consistency and you can use your judgment as you go rather than weighing it out and tipping it all in at once. I used just under a 130g pack of shiratamako flour to make 15 dango balls.

Split the dough in two then into four equal portions and roll them out into a log shape. Cut the logs into four equal portions and then roll each portion into a ball.

Heat up a large pan of boiling water and drop your dango balls into the boiling water, when they float to the top give them a one extra minute and they are done.

Scoop them out using a strainer and drop them into iced water for 30 seconds.

Transfer to a plate lined with parchment so they don’t stick. If you would like to arrange an offering to the full moon you can stack them in a pyramid shape having three rows of three balls then two rows of two balls on top finishing with two balls to make fifteen altogether to represent the lunar calendar 15th night. Some people like to finish with two pumpkin dough balls on top this is easy to do by just adding some steamed pumpkin when making your dough. Just add a tablespoon of precooked pumpkin to some of the tofu and keep adding a little of your flour the same until a dough forms.

Enjoy by relaxing and celebrating at home gazing up at the moon while sipping sake under the moonlight. Maybe reflect on your daily life and show gratitude for the seasonal harvest and the abundance of what nature provides.

You can serve your dango with a dusting of kinako (soybean powder) and maybe some sweet red beans, chestnuts and sliced steamed kabocha pumpkin.

Or why not try Mitarashi dango grilled dango balls served warm with a sweet soy sauce glaze. Soft on the inside and slightly crispy on the outside.

In the Kansai region of Japan (around Kyoto and Osaka) you will often find regional variations like Ozoni new year soup or sakura mochi. Tsukimi dango also has a Kansai style of its own. The dango is made into a teardrop shape to look like a satoimo 里芋 (taro potato) and has a blanket of anko rolled around each dumpling. As I explained earlier taro were eaten as a representation of the moon. The dango covered  bean paste represents the moon being covered by a cloud and just about to poke through.
If you would like to make these instead make the dough as above but roll the dough into one log and section into six portions.
Roll each portion into a ball and form into a teardrop shape. Drop the dango into boiling water again until they float leaving them a little longer to cook through.

Plunge into ice water then pat dry with a muslin cloth.

Take six tablespoons of anko bean paste and roll into a ball then roll the ball into a log shape. I used tsubuan (chunky bean paste) as that was what I had but it is more traditional to use koshian (smooth bean paste).

Flatten with a rolling pin between muslin cloth then add a teardrop dango to the middle, fold over the cloth so that the anko covers the outside of the dango.

This year we celebrate Tsukimi in Japan on September 17th 2024.

This date is also very close to another Japanese festival the Autumn Equinox which falls in Japan and the U.K. on Sunday the 22nd of September. As this day falls on a Sunday there will be an observed holiday on Monday the 23rd in Japan.

The silver week シルバーウィーク holiday in Japan starts with Respect for the Aged Day (敬老の日, Keirō no Hi) on Monday the 16th of September. A public holiday in Japan celebrated annually to honor elderly citizens, which started in 1966. Then ends with the Autumn Equinox 秋分.

The Autumn Equinox is the 16th sekki (solar terms) in the 24 sekki seasonal calendar and is known as Shūbun 秋分 Buddhists call the Autumn Equinox O-Higan or Aki no Higan. Higan translates to “other shore” meaning land of the dead. Higan is a special time for Buddhists in Japan as they believe that this is when the worlds between the living and dead are at their thinnest, thus at this time people pay respects to the deceased. Every year I always like to make Ohagi おはぎ a traditional type of Japanese wagashi (sweet) made from half pounded (hangoroshi) mochi rice with an anko filling and rolled in various toppings like kinako (soy bean powder) and ground sesame.

You can also do a reverse one where the rice is the filling and the anko is on the outside.

Ohagi おはぎ is named after the Japanese clover bush in the autumn, in the spring the same sweets are called Botamochi named after the tree peony botan. In Japan it is traditional to take ohagi along with flowers and incense to the graves of ancestors at this time as offerings. It is also said that Botamochi in the spring were made as a prayer for fertility and a successful growing season and ohagi in the autumn was to give thanks to the harvest .
So ohagi might be another thing you could make at this time to celebrate. You can find more information and recipes on my autumn recipe pages just search “Ohagi”.

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival