Aw, check out the cute little mouse-shaped (for certain value of “mouse”) nook for this precious hamster in Japan. His name is Omochi, which is a rice cake (also known as mochi) made by pounding sticky mochigome rice with a heavy mallet and then using the paste to make little sweet and sticky balls. In the US, you might be familiar with one style of mochi—those cute little confections filled with ice cream—but there are many different varieties of mochi enjoyed in Japan. I’ve included some information on mochi balls in the links below and a video illustrating the pounding of the rice by a mochi master, which I highly recommend watching because it’s amazing and looks way more dangerous than you might think dessert-making would typically be. Below you will also find the header source video from Instagram, where hamster Omochi has quite a following, seeing that he is a pretty darn cute little ball himself.
Allrecipes: "What Is Mochi and How Do You Make It at Home?" by Vanessa Greaves, 2/16/21
Wa-Shoku: "Omochi, rice cake ーおもちー" by Ryan, 7/12/18
Gurunavi: "9 Types of Mochi (Japanese Rice Cakes), 1/20/17
Ta, Martini. Delightful from start to finish.
There's a few anime with mochi-making scenes in them, although I can't remember which ones right now off-hand. Never seen it done by a real person, though. Fun!