Icehouse Packed For A Summer Treat

About 130 residents of Tenri, Nara Prefecture, many of them young children, joined together to pack a thatched storehouse full with nearly three tons of ice, February 11 in Tenri, Japan. Located in the city’s Fukusumi neighborhood, the recreated thatched ice house harkens back to ancient times, when ice cut from ponds was stored in the area for the summer enjoyment of the Emperor and nobles. Local groups began holding the ice-packing festival in 1999, as a way of teaching the area’s history to children--who are in for a treat when the ice is dug out in July.