Breaking the ice (in Nikkō)

[thomas]

I saw this on NHK last year:

An ice producer in Nikkō is harvesting natural ice, with this year's output expected to reach around 4,000 high-grade blocks for shipment across Japan. NHK reports that shaved-ice shops use the ice, though it is also likely to be found in some high-end cocktail bars.

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[mdchachi]

The ice industry used to be pretty big around where I'm from. They'd cut it into blocks during the winter and store it in warehouses for use in iceboxes. I think they even shipped it by rail. Technology (refrigerators) decimated the industry.