Mochi

Buried beneath the summer haze and whirr of the cicadas lies the town of Mochi. Old houses line streets with cracked pavement, and many areas have fallen prey to the decays of time, from the weed-ridden baseball fields to the empty public pool. But there is something in its old, decayed form that feels beautiful and nostalgic, like an old leatherbound book with a spine that crackles as you turn the fragile pages. 

Hotaru is a troubled youth from Tokyo. Their mother, too busy with work to really connect to their lost child, sent them away one summer to live in this country town with their Ojii-San (Grandpa). Hotaru was miserable at first - how would they survive a summer stowed away in some rural village, away from the record stores and boba tea shops they frequented in the city? But the quiet country life surprised Hotaru. Each morning they awoke to the sound of cicada chirps, and the delicious scent of their Ojii-San cooking rice and soup for breakfast. Wandering along the broken roads became an adventure, as they learned each and every crack and became friends with the plethora of beetles and grasshoppers that lived in the yard. And digging through Ojii-San's basement was pretty fun, too, filled with the memories of his days as a sailor. 

Long before I owned a second switch, I'd often think of what themes I'd want to take on if I could have another switch. And the one my heart usually went to was Japanese citycore. Well, as I've learned along my island-creating journey, I do NOT like the idea of citycore anymore. I hate doing fake buildings, and I'm not very good at laying out those huge street codes. That's when I got the idea to do the opposite - rural Japan. I drew inspiration from a lot of my favorite anime series, especially Free! Iwatobi Swim Club, Himouto! Umaru Chan, and Sailor Moon. I wanted to make retro grocery stores, and overgrown beachfronts, and a huge festival area, all things that made me think of those shows. 

This island is the fastest island I ever did - I built it in under two months! AND it's the only island that I've fully renovated EVERY villager interior, beach, and human resident interior, so it was quite the feat to finish! 

Mochi Codes