Kids' Activities 08-2

A Stadium Made of Candy!

	The sweet, mini Nagai Stadium. (ANA Hotel Osaka)

To mark the 2002 FIFA World Cup, 12 confectioners at the ANA Hotel Osaka have made a 1:250 scale model of Osaka's Nagai Stadium - out of sugar and other ingredients! The real Nagai Stadium will host the Japan vs. Tunisia match on June 14. The model will be displayed from May 27 to the end of June in the hotel's lobby.

The "mini-stadium" is white on the outside and measures 1.07 meters by 87 centimeters. It was made from about 20 kilograms of sugar paste (made by mixing granular sugar with millet jelly and other ingredients) and 15 kilograms of icing sugar. The roof is held together with styrofoam, and the seats look exactly like the real ones. The makers tried to recreate the stadium down to the smallest details. For example, the ground outside the stadium is made of red sugar. It took about 50 days for them to "build" the model.

The chefs at ANA Hotel Osaka show off their creation. (ANA Hotel Osaka)

The team was led by 46-year-old bakery and pastry head chef Shinji Sasaki. He said, "It was tough making some parts, especially the curved bits, but we managed to make the model quite like the real thing. I hope guests who are looking forward to the World Cup and local people will enjoy our creation." (Kyodo News)