Can I play without signing in?

Yes. Climbing alone and practicing an area work right away without signing in. Your best time for the whole climb and for each area is kept in this browser. Only racing a friend needs a sign-in.

How long does a climb take?

Many players need about an hour to climb from the kitchen to the moon for the first time. Experienced players do it in a few minutes. A hard area can be repeated as often as you like in practice.

Are there checkpoints to restart from?

No. If you fall, you can drop a long way through empty space. Depending on how you fall, you can even end up in a lower area.

Where are my records kept?

Your best time for the whole climb and for each of the five areas is kept in this browser. They do not move to other devices or browsers. There is no leaderboard.

Is there random matching, or a way to send text?

Neither. Races are only in rooms with friends. The only way to talk is five fixed stamps, and there is no way to send free text.

Can I play on a phone?

Yes. You only press, slide and let go, so it works on a phone and on a computer. You need a browser that supports 3D graphics (WebGL2). If nothing shows up, try another browser.

Asobi Lounge / Games / Mochi's Way Back to the Moon

Mochi's Way Back to the Moon (おもち、月へ帰る): stretch, stick and climb all the way to the moon

Stretch a round mochi, stick to ledges and pull yourself up from a night kitchen to the moon, in a very hard 3D climbing game. A mochi that belonged to the moon rabbits has dropped into a kitchen on Earth. It climbs out of the window, over the roofs and a five-storey pagoda and above the clouds, all the way home to the moon. The controls are only press, stretch and let go. One slip can send you far back down, but the controls are simple enough to learn at once. Climbing alone needs no sign-in, and you can race a friend in a room.

Also known as: Mochi, Mochi climbing game, Hard climbing game
Players: 1-2 players
Price: free
Runs in the browser (no install)

Play now

The game screen is in Japanese.

Climbing alone and practicing an area work right away from this page without signing in, and your best times are kept in this browser. Racing a friend needs a sign-in with a Google account. To play with a friend, your friend also needs to create an account and register as your friend (you can also give them the room ID or the invite link).

Mochi's Way Back to the Moon modes

Climb alone (ひとりで登る): climb from the kitchen to the moon in one go. Your time and the time of each area are kept (no sign-in needed)
Practice an area (区間を練習): practice any of the five areas (the kitchen, the roofs, the pagoda, above the clouds and the moon) on its own, from its bottom to its top (no sign-in needed)
Race a friend (友だちと対戦): make a room and climb the same course at the same time as a friend; whoever reaches the top first wins (sign-in needed)

Basic rules of Mochi's Way Back to the Moon

The mochi does not walk. Press the mochi and slide your finger (or the cursor) in the direction you want, and its body stretches that way.
If the stretched tip stays on something for a moment, it sticks (the ring around it fills up). If it sticks to nothing, the stretch simply snaps back.
Let go, and your body is pulled to where you stuck. Stretch, stick, pull: repeat this to climb.
How well you stick depends on what you touch. Tell the sticky things from the slippery and the unstickable ones, and chain your footholds together.
There are no checkpoints. If you slip, you can fall a long way down through empty space and lose a lot of ground.
Outside, the wind blows. When leaves swirl and the sound of the wind grows louder, a gust is about to come: stick to something and sit it out. Above the clouds the wind blows upwards, and near the moon your body feels lighter.
The goal is the moon. There are five areas (the kitchen, the roofs, the pagoda, above the clouds and the moon), and a split is recorded each time you reach the top of one.

How to play on Asobi Lounge

Press "Climb alone" (ひとりで登る) on the title card to start in the kitchen at night. The top of the screen shows the clock, the area you are in, your height and your personal best.
Press the mochi and slide your finger in the direction you want to stretch. When the tip has stuck, let go to pull yourself up. A mouse works the same way (press, move, release).
If you stretch the wrong way, move your finger back onto the mochi before letting go, and the stretch is cancelled.
Pick an area under "Practice an area" (区間を練習) on the title card to practice it alone, from its bottom to its top.
The "Restart" (最初から) button at the top of the screen starts over at any time. The sound button switches sound on and off (this browser remembers it).
When you reach the top, you see your time for the whole climb and for each area, with the difference from your best. "Climb again" (もう一度登る) tries once more right away.

Surfaces (how well you stick)

How well you stick depends on what you touch. The same list is under "How to play" (あそびかた) on the title card. Once you can tell them apart, a way up starts to show.

Wood, cloth and stone walls: they hold well.
Metal, glass, tile and plaster: they are slippery, and you cannot hang from them.
Flour: nothing sticks to it.
Honey: it holds at once, and strongly.
Roof tiles: they take a while to hold, and you slide a little at a time.
Moss: it holds at once. It is a safe spot on the roofs.
Bronze (wind-chime bells and the spire): it holds more weakly than wood, and the bells swing.
Clouds: they hold well, but sink while you sit on them (they do not sink while you hang from them).
Moon dust: nothing sticks and you slide. Black rocks can be grabbed.

The five areas

The kitchen to the moon is one continuous world. A split is shown each time you reach the top of an area.

The kitchen: climb the stool, the shelves and the window sill of a kitchen at night to reach the high window. Slippery tools and a shelf spilled with flour are waiting.
The roofs: go out of the window and cross the roof tiles. The wind starts to blow, and the mossy spots are safe.
The pagoda: climb a five-storey pagoda in the night mist. Some moves have you hanging under the eaves, and the wind grows stronger.
Above the clouds: cross from cloud to cloud and ride the wind towards the moon. The clouds sink while you sit on them.
The moon: the last stretch, where you feel lighter. The dust is slippery, so grab the rocks to climb.

Records and splits

Each time you reach the top of an area, its time (a split) is shown with the difference from your best for that area. When you finish the whole climb, your total time and the time of each area are listed.

Your best time for the whole climb and for each of the five areas is kept in this browser (signed in or not, and it does not move to other devices or browsers). There is no leaderboard.

Racing a friend

You and a friend climb the same course at the same time, and whoever reaches the top first wins. A room holds two players. There is no random matching: it is a race between friends only.

Make a room with "Race a friend" and you get a room ID and an invite link. Your friend types the room ID or opens the link. Inviting a friend, or joining from a party, works too. Racing needs a sign-in. To play with a friend, your friend also needs to create an account and register as your friend.

The person who made the room picks the course: any of the five areas, or the whole climb from the kitchen to the moon. When both press "Ready" (準備OK), a countdown runs and you start together. Your friend's mochi shows as a blue see-through ghost (you do not collide). There is no need to hurry.

The game server decides the winner. It replays the record of a finisher's inputs with the same calculation and checks that they really reached the top. A record that cannot be confirmed loses the race.

After a race you can climb again in the same room as often as you like. The only way to talk is five fixed stamps ("Oops" (あっ…), "Ahead of you" (おさきに), "You can do it" (がんばれ), "Argh" (くっ…) and "Nice" (ナイス)), and there is no way to send free text.

Tips for climbing

Once you stick to something, stop for a moment and pick where to stretch next. Pulling in a hurry makes you lose your hold and fall.
You cannot hang from slippery things. The basic way up is to chain sticky things together: wood, cloth, moss and the like.
When leaves swirl and the wind grows louder, a gust is coming. Stick to something and sit it out.
A cloud sinks if you rest on it. It does not sink while you hang from it, so when in doubt, hang and look for the next cloud.
For a weak area, "Practice an area" lets you repeat it as often as you like. Each area keeps its own best, so it also helps when you want to shave time off the whole climb.
After a fall, the way to the next place to land can be long. Do not stretch in a rush: pick your footholds and climb again.

Frequently asked questions

Can I play without signing in?: Yes. Climbing alone and practicing an area work right away without signing in. Your best time for the whole climb and for each area is kept in this browser. Only racing a friend needs a sign-in.
How long does a climb take?: Many players need about an hour to climb from the kitchen to the moon for the first time. Experienced players do it in a few minutes. A hard area can be repeated as often as you like in practice.
Are there checkpoints to restart from?: No. If you fall, you can drop a long way through empty space. Depending on how you fall, you can even end up in a lower area.
Where are my records kept?: Your best time for the whole climb and for each of the five areas is kept in this browser. They do not move to other devices or browsers. There is no leaderboard.
How do I race a friend?: Make a room with "Race a friend" and give the room ID or the invite link to your friend. To play with a friend, your friend also needs to create an account and register as your friend. Racing needs a sign-in. The server checks the record of every finish to decide the winner.
Is there random matching, or a way to send text?: Neither. Races are only in rooms with friends. The only way to talk is five fixed stamps, and there is no way to send free text.
Can I play on a phone?: Yes. You only press, slide and let go, so it works on a phone and on a computer. You need a browser that supports 3D graphics (WebGL2). If nothing shows up, try another browser.
Is Mochi's Way Back to the Moon free to play?: Yes, it costs nothing. Climbing alone and practicing an area work right away from this page without signing in, and your best times are kept in this browser. Racing a friend needs a sign-in with a Google account. To play with a friend, your friend also needs to create an account and register as your friend (you can also give them the room ID or the invite link).