With all its beautiful and majestic nature, amazing people, rich culture, and mouth-watering delicacies, Japan is no doubt one of the best gems the world currently has. It has a lot of rich gifts: Lake Ashi, Mount Fuji, Lake Kawaguchi, Mt. Miyanoura, Tessen Ike geyser, Lake Kuttara, Kamikochi, Karuizawa, and Shiho Peak, which tourists can't get enough of. 

Unfortunately, due to what is happening to Japan nowadays, travel experts say visitors currently have no choice but to cancel or reschedule their trips to the country. This is due to the efforts of the authorities to contain the virus and possibly put an end to it. Japan currently has a total of more than 18,000 coronavirus cases and 974 total deaths, as reported by Worldometers.

Since it would be a while before you will be able to visit and experience Japan first hand, why not do something that could make you feel like you're there instead? Create your very own Japanese rice cake dessert: the mochi.

Mochi, a Japanese rice cake made from glutinous rice, has been a very important part of the Japanese culture since the Heian period. Ever since it was created, this dessert has been used by the locals to symbolize long life and healthy-being. 

To create this amazing dessert, you only need to complete several ingredients. These ingredients include a cup of sweetened red bean paste, a cup of sweet rice flour, a cup of water, a teaspoon of matcha powder, a quarter of a cup of white sugar, and half a cup of cornstarch, as enumerated by All Recipes.

The first step is to wrap the red bean paste in an aluminum foil. Chill it in the freezer for at least three hours. 

The second is to mix the rice flour and matcha powder together in a bowl. Add in the sugar and water. Mix until the ingredients are well incorporated. Cover the bowl with a plastic wrap. Set aside. 

The third step is to cook the rice flour in a microwave oven for 3 and a half minutes. While waiting, remove the red bean paste from the chiller and form it into eight balls. Put the balls in a clean tray.

After 3.5 minutes, remove the rice flour mixture from the heat, stir again, and put it back right in. Heat it again for 15 to 30 seconds. 

Dust your work surface with cornstarch to avoid sticking of the rice flour mixture. Once done heating, begin to flatten up your mochi and cut it into a size big enough to fully cover the frozen red bean paste ball you have just chilled in the freezer. Add cornstarch to your mixture once your mochi becomes sticky. 

Cover your frozen red bean paste ball with your mochi. Follow these instructions until all of your red bean paste is covered with mochi.