Bouncy balls, toy fish, and colorful costume gems are among the goodies encased in blocks of ice produced by Onchi Seihyo in Miyakojima Ward, Osaka, as a fun and photo-worthy way to beat the heat this sizzling summer season.
Each whimsical creation takes about a week to prepare, as the inserts must be added gradually in layers and frozen in an industrial ice-maker. The water is stirred as it sets to release any air bubbles trapped inside and achieve a crystal clear finish.
The ice sculptures are in demand as decorations for events and commercial facilities. The company can even encase flower bouquets and stuffed animals, too.
The freeze on events and festivals amid the novel coronavirus pandemic has taken a chip out of sales; orders have fallen to about 20% of the usual this year and last.
But as operations manager Hidemitsu Onchi said: "I just hope we can bring some joy to children and some cool heading into the height of summer."
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