Is that a nice, tasty, oozing piece of mochi being picked up in this picture?
Or is it a ghost?
Maybe that's the subliminal message here: the mochi in ozoni — it's an essential ingredient in the traditional New Year soup — can be a killer. Every year several people (mostly old folks) choke to death on mochi that they swallow without having chewed it properly.
The image comes from an advertisement for an excursion by train to make a New Year shrine visit, combined with some festive food.
Here are some more JR ads for other destinations: Fukushima Pref. for anko nabe (monkfish hotpot)...
...and Narita (again), for strawberry tabehodai (all you can eat) gluttony...