My daughter turned one earlier this year, and although we prepared a small smash cake as per tradition in America, I was curious as to how Japanese people celebrate a baby's first birthday. I was surprised to find two big traditions, and would like to share them with you all today!

First birthday celebrations have been celebrated in Japan for a long time. In the olden days, the celebrations went by several names, but the most common today is 一升餅 (isshou mochi). 一升餅 is made up of three Japanese characters; 一 (one), 升 (kilogram*), 餅 (rice cake). Therefore, in English, 一升餅 (isshou mochi), literally translates into "1 kilogram of rice cake".

In addition to the literal translation,  the middle character (升) can also mean 生 (a lifetime). So, in this case, "一生餅" means "rice cake for one's entire life".

When a baby turns one year old, they are to try and carry the 1.8 kilogram pack of rice cake on their back. Why rice? Well, rice is long known in Japan to contain unique spiritual powers and be able to renew and regenerate life. So, in Japan, rice has a special power and when eaten, this special power can be absorbed into your body. The most famous rice cake is 鏡餅 (kagami mochi), which you can see a lot around New Years!

As for the first birthday, the carrying of the rice cake is hope that the child never has to worry about food for their entire life, and also that they can be healthy for the rest of their life. The rice cake is usually round, which is also symbolic of peace, and there is hope that the child will also live a peaceful life. 

Once the celebration is over, the rice cake can then be cooked and eaten. 

In modern times, things have changqed slightly. While it is still a prominent tradition, some people opt to get the baby's name engraved on the rice cake, or use a heart shaped rice cake to be more festive! In our case, which is also becoming more popular, we opted out of the huge, heavy, solid rice cake, and instead bought a sack of rice. Cooking 1.8 kilograms of rice cake is pretty hard and takes quite some time, but since we eat rice everyday, we'll eat up the rice in no time!

We were also able to get our daughter's name and birthday engraved on the rice bag, and there was also a free backpack (A furoshiki cloth is traditionally used) for my daughter to carry the rice in. My daughter can not walk yet so of course she fell down immediately. Nevertheless, she was successful in hauling the heavy sack over to her favorite taboo item; the remote!

While to some, Japan may be small, it does not mean there is a lack of diversity when it comes to tradition. There are many different ways to celebrate 一升餅 (isshou mochi) around Japan. If you reside in Japan, check and see how it may be celebrated in your region!

Region	Name
Saitama Kyushu Fukushima Chiba Iwate/Akita	piggyback Rice Cake Stepping on the Rice Cake Roll over Rice Cake Strength Rice cake Standing Rice Cake

Region	Tradition
Saitama Kyushu Kagoshima Shimane Nagasaki	Increase the amount of rice cake until they can't walk Step on the rice cake walk on the rice cake with new sandals Carry the rice cake in the father's kimono obi Make 12, offer to God, and then step on them.

How did your baby fare during this tradition? Will you celebrate this tradition when your child turns one? Let me know in the comments below!