"Kangeiko" New Year's Workout

Kangeiko is the traditional celebration of the "First workout of the year", held annually in January.  Students take part in official ceremonies, pledge their determination and hopes for the new year to the school and to themselves, and work out together in a large group with other students and teachers.  Kangeiko is concluded with a traditional sake ceremony for adults ("Sprite" for children), where Uchida Kaicho offers sake to each student to signify the loyalty of the student to the teacher, and vice versa.  Later in the day, a "Mochi Tsuki" ceremony is held in which students take turns at pounding rice to form "Mochi" rice cakes, which signifies strength, health, and longevity.  After the hard work of making the Mochi, everyone gets to enjoy the benefits by trying different styles of Mochi cakes!