Nakatanidou

On a corner of Higashimuki shopping street in Nara, Nakatanidou is known for pounding yomogi (mugwort) mochi by hand at speed: two men slam heavy wooden mallets into the hot dough in a fast, rhythmic show that draws crowds on the sidewalk before the soft rice cakes are stuffed with sweet red bean paste and sold hot. It's a working mochi shop rather than a staged act; the pounding is simply how the shop has always finished the dough. It has become one of the most photographed food stops in central Nara.