Ice church in Hokkaido draws winter lovebirds

SAPPORO, Japan - Salaried worker Hideyuki Osanai (L) and nurse Momoko Tsuta walk arm in arm down the aisle during their wedding ceremony Feb. 11 in a church made of ice including its dome and pillars at the resort facilities complex Alpha Resort Tomamu in the village of Shimukappu on the northernmost Japanese main island of Hokkaido. As the mercury went down to 9C below zero in the ice church, Osanai who came from Nagoya, 1,000 kilometers southwest of Hokkaido, said, ''Although it was cold, this ceremony will be a timeless memory.'' The resort complex operator said some 40 couples held wedding ceremonies this year.

• Product Code
• ILEA001131840

• Registered date
• 2009/2/11 00:00:00

• Credit
• Kyodo / Kyodo News Images

• Media source
• 2009 Kyodo News

• Media size
• 1970 × 1889 pixel

• Resolution
• 240 dpi

• Deployment size
• 764.01(KB)*

• Special instruction

*File size when opened in Photoshop, etc.