As everybody knows, the first thing you do if you want a close look at one of England’s most important historical churches is hop a flight to…Osaka?

Believe it or not, that’s been the case since Osaka’s Monterey Hotel saw fit to grace its premises with a detailed, three-quarter-size replica of All Saints Church Brockhampton. That’s an awful long way from Herefordshire, where the original has sat since its completion at the turn of the 20th century.

AllSaints

Apart from the 25% difference in scale, there’s one other major difference between the English and Japanese versions: The Osaka model sits quite a bit closer to heaven, on the 21st floor!

But why would they go to the trouble of measuring, studying, and reproducing a thatched-roofed English country church in the middle of a bustling Asian metropolis? It’s all about marriage, and money. Demand has been rising in Japan for Western-style weddings, and the folks at the Monterey Hotel have developed them into a specialty.

As a result, the setup at the Monterey is highly matrimony-friendly. Photo studios, restaurants, and honeymoon suites flank the knock-off All Saints—which, by the way, you can rent for your ceremony for a mere 13,000 bucks. In case you were wondering, that’s a little higher than the original: An afternoon’s use of the authentic All Saints Brockhampton will set you back about $660.

(Links 1 2)

DanBing

DanBing

DanBing has lived in one Asian country and traveled in various others, engaging in activities that ranged from teaching English to playing Irish music to researching articles to marrying. The best part was usually the food, though the marriage hasn’t been too bad either. But of all his many accomplishments he is perhaps proudest of his close–extremely close–association with the person who wrote The Devil’s Food Dictionary: A Pioneering Culinary Reference Work Consisting Entirely of Lies (www.frogchartpress.com).