Spring is full of meetings and partings; new life, new job, new school term, and graduations. This is the time when the weather is cheery and you wonder what happened to the chill of winter. When it’s hot, don’t you want to eat that thing that melts in your mouth and gives you brain freeze?
Yes, shaved ice! There’s actually scientific basis that it is more delicious in the winter time than the summer. The reason behind this is in the summer, the ice melts faster and in the winter it keeps its form longer for you to enjoy the full flavor of the shaved ice. That sounds good, but the season you really want to eat it is summer time! Don’t you want that blissful moment of fluffy, cold ice becoming an oasis for your heated body?
It’s a little early, but here I’ll introduce some great shaved ice shops that are sure to satisfy your heart and stomach!
How about shaved ice after a night out?
KAKIGORI CAFÉ & BAR yelo
KAKIGORI CAFÉ & BAR yelo is a four minute walk from Roppongi Station. This shaved ice shop is unusual in that it is a café and bar and as such is open from 11 AM into the morning. Instead of rounding out a night of drinking with fatty foods, it looks like there’s going to be an increase in people finishing their night out with shaved ice! The cool ice is sure to wake you from any alcohol induced tipsiness. I’m in favor of this!
This sign is the landmark!
Here, the flavor penetrates all the way to the middle of the ice, so you can enjoy the flavors to the very end! They offer many time limited products, so young people come to try out the rare flavors. For example, during the cherry blossom season the menu includes a product combining cherry blossom scented milk,
cherry blossom jelly and white bean paste, black tea flavor, Japanese flavors like roasted black sesame with yelo original milk, and kinako toppings. As well as limited seasonal flavors, they offer a large variety of limited time specials, so it’s easy to visit this shop many times without tiring of the menu.
Here is the current limited time menu!
4 types of berries, popular with female customers.
This shaved ice uses an abundant mix of strawberries, cranberries, blueberries, and raspberries. The richness of the berry flavor is the best!
Elder flower is a beautiful gold color.
This one is made with a hint of the herbal drink that is currently popular in NY. I want to see what this tastes like!
Pastels gets 100 points for cuteness, sure to attract young girls.
This shaved ice has a pop look to it with rose and vanilla arranged in red and white along with a healthy scattering of traditional candy from Kagawa made by Norikane Shoten. So enjoyable to look at, I love this idea!
Other limited items include, mango lassi, avocado mascarpone, etc. One topping to pay special attention to is the Yogurt DX topping! Greek yogurt is added to whipped cream forming a rich cream used for topping. Definitely give this menu a thorough look.
＜KAKIGORI CAFE & BAR yelo＞ Patio Roppongi 1F, 5-2-11 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo, JAPAN HP：https://yelo.jp
At the top of the shaved ice world is this place.
HIMITSUDO
This is a shop that you should definitely visit at least once.
This shaved ice shop continues Japanese traditions by making the ice from spring water and using the traditional manually operated shaved ice machine. Starting as a food stall this shop climbed to the top and is now said to be the No. 1 shaved ice shop. The reason being the manual shaved ice maker, naturalice, additive-free syrup, and that all materials are selected carefully and without compromise. That is how they gained a reputation and became a nationally beloved shaved ice shop.
The natural ice used by Himitsudo is natural spring water that collects in a pond and frozen naturally in winter. This ice doesn’t melt as easily and has a soft texture.
The blessings of nature are pretty great.
The fruit syrup used here is all handmade! Their popular strawberry syrup is made using fully ripened strawberries from Shizuoka and Akita, mixed with sugar, and as it is handmade there are no additives, so you can eat it without reservations making this place well-liked. You can tell how delicious it is just by looking at a picture, the vivid strawberry sauce is beautiful! There are various flavors available like lemon and red bean. The menu changes every day and is announced on twitter, so be sure to check it there!
Have you ever seen such brightly colored shaved ice?!
This shop is extremely popular year round, so there is always a wait time, but the delicious flavors that await you are sure to erase the agony of waiting in line. Definitely check this place out!
<HIMITSUDO> 3-11-18 Yanaka Taito-ku, Tokyo, JAPAN HP：https://himitsudo.com
If it’s a teahouse, it’s Japanese style shaved ice
Shimokita Chaen Oyama
This photo really shows how thick the syrup is.
Shimokita Chaen Oyama’s shaved ice is known for its foamy syrup and is sure to excite anyone who sees it. This is a specialty shop for Japanese tea with a certified 10th dan level tea master, so here you can experience a rich tea flavor selected from among many different teas! Any matcha (green tea) flavored shaved ice you’ve eaten before cannot compare to the flavor here! Eat it just once and you’ll get addicted. Low sugar matcha shaved ice is pictured, but matcha azuki, houjicha azuki, etc. are also popular flavors. A good amount of azuki (red bean paste) is placed inside and the gentle flavor together with the fluffy, melting ice complement each other very well. The moment it enters your mouth, you’re sure to have a pleasant smile.
They sell tea leaves on the first floor, so how about buying a souvenir?
Whichever shop you go to, offers a satisfying volume.
I definitely recommend trying this delicious dessert with a fluffy texture and rich syrup.
Edit & Text: MUGI
＜PROFILE＞
A girl living in Tokyo with her spoiled and chubby chi-poo (Chihuahua and poodle mix). I like unique scents and taking walks.
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