With the arrival of New Year’s, more old people in Japan have been found choking on mochi, and there was one instance that left a man in his 80s in serious condition.

The man, from Fukushima Prefecture’s Koriyama City, ingested the sticky rice cake and his daughter later called the fire department, claiming that he had been coughing and felt strange after eating it.

When the ambulance arrived, the old man was in a state of cardiac arrest and had to be rushed to a hospital. He was later transferred to a different hospital, where his pulse and breathing returned, but he remained in a state of unconsciousness.

Sadly, mochi is often a problem with the elderly in Japan, as they end up choking on the sweet treat often around New Year’s, with some victims occasionally dying.

Editor’s note: Featured art by Hashiguma