Two people died and another 15 were rushed to hospitals in Tokyo over the two days to Wednesday after they choked on "mochi" pounded rice cakes, the Tokyo Fire Department said Wednesday.
The two fatalities, a 68-year-old man and an 83-year-old man, were dining at their homes.
The fire department urged people to chop mochi into small pieces and swallow with care, adding that other people should watch carefully when elderly people and children eat mochi.