They generally weren’t fancy. But we loved to indulge on the sugary treats day after day. It makes me laugh to picture myself as a kid - sitting on the porch in my shorts and tank top, with a messy head of blonde hair cut in a semi-fashionable bowl-cut hairstyle, racing my brightly colored popsicle. Who would finish first? Me or the heat of the summer afternoon?
Although popsicles are common in Japan, the more popular treat to be the heat of the hot Japanese summer, is kakigori or shaved ice. As soon as the temperatures start raising, the signs start appearing.
Shaved ice, not crushed or tiny cubes, reigns supreme. So, kakigori has a soft feel in the mouth. The toppings range from simple brightly colored syrup to fancy over the top concoctions. While I easily walk past those simple syrups that are too sweet for me, I love the fancy concoctions!
Last year we traveled by bus to Kichijoji enjoy some super special shaved ice with designer ice and high end fruit toppings. It was well worth the trip.
But how would we top it this year? There are tons of fancy kakigori places around Tokyo (and Japan, in general), but there aren't many within biking distance of our home.
Despite the heat, we hopped on our bikes and rode to Ikebukuro to a shop my husband had read about. They currently require reservations to limit the number of people in the shop at any one time. Kakigori is not something you get as take out. Instead, you enjoy it where you buy it. I was surprised when my husband told me they only offered day of reservations, but since he was able to secure three seats for our family, it was fine with me.
Simply called “An” (ah-n), the shop sells fancy kakigori. They have seasonal flavors that border on the strange. Of course, this intrigued me even more.
Our reservation was at 11:30 am. So, we informed our son that we were having kakigori for lunch. While he was excited, he was also concerned that it wouldn’t fill him up. I let him know if he was still hungry afterwards, I would happily buy him so “real food” to fill up his tummy.
The restaurant is on the second floor of a building with a tight staircase that is easily missed by passers by. I am constantly amazed at how small spaces are here - especially restaurants. The shop had just two tables that each sat 4 and 4 seats at a bar. However, I think normally they squeeze in a third table and 2 more seats at the bar. They’re just giving people extra space due to Covid.
We were seated at a table and quickly picked out what we wanted to eat.
My husband ordered the special - strawberry cheesecake. It was shaved ice with a strawberry topping. It came with a side of cheesecake-flavored sauce (thinned sweet cream cheese) and a lemon wedge. The waitress instructed my husband to squeeze the lemon on his kakigori half way through the dessert.
Our son asked for kuromitsu kinako. Kuromitsu is a Japanese sugar syrup similar to molasses, but thinner and milder. It is often described as “black honey.” Kinako is a powder made from roasted soybeans that tastes a bit like roasted peanuts. The two flavors compliment each other very nicely. This choice made my husband laugh and say “does it taste like Japan?” because the flavors are so stereotypically Japanese.
I chose nutty avocado for my kakigori. It looked so creamy and unique. Avocados have been very popular in Tokyo for the last few years. We see avocado toast offered at restaurants and piles of them for sale at shops. But I still have yet to see an avocado sushi roll in this country. Although I've seen slices of the green fruit atop nigiri (raw fish on a ball of seasoned rice). At any rate, my trendy kakigori also came with a lemon wedge to squeeze on after I had devoured half of the mound of ice.
When the kakigori arrived, we were surprised by the size. It was almost the same size as our son’s head! He quickly said “maybe this will fill me up!”
All three of us greatly enjoyed our kakigori. We took bites of each other’s, but mainly stuck to our own choosing. My nutty avocado was creamy and fluffy, with big chunks of the green fruit. While I wouldn’t order it on a regular basis, it was delightful.
Although it took a while, our son finished his huge serving of kakigori. He liked the fact that it wasn’t overly sweet because the kinako balanced out the kuromitsu.
My husband said he would happily enjoy his strawberry cheesecake kakigori again and again.
We all felt it was worth the long bike ride to Ikebukuro for the fancy treats. Well, until we had to bike back home. By then, we were all really hot once again, making us wish the treats came at the end of a long bike ride and not just in the middle of it.
I sometimes wonder what kind of memories my son will have of his childhood. Will he have fond memories visiting shrines, playing in the park, and seeking out interesting kakigori during the sweltering summers of his youth? Or will it be something else?
Last year we traveled by bus to Kichijoji enjoy some super special shaved ice with designer ice and high end fruit toppings. It was well worth the trip.
But how would we top it this year? There are tons of fancy kakigori places around Tokyo (and Japan, in general), but there aren't many within biking distance of our home.
Despite the heat, we hopped on our bikes and rode to Ikebukuro to a shop my husband had read about. They currently require reservations to limit the number of people in the shop at any one time. Kakigori is not something you get as take out. Instead, you enjoy it where you buy it. I was surprised when my husband told me they only offered day of reservations, but since he was able to secure three seats for our family, it was fine with me.
Simply called “An” (ah-n), the shop sells fancy kakigori. They have seasonal flavors that border on the strange. Of course, this intrigued me even more.
Our reservation was at 11:30 am. So, we informed our son that we were having kakigori for lunch. While he was excited, he was also concerned that it wouldn’t fill him up. I let him know if he was still hungry afterwards, I would happily buy him so “real food” to fill up his tummy.
The restaurant is on the second floor of a building with a tight staircase that is easily missed by passers by. I am constantly amazed at how small spaces are here - especially restaurants. The shop had just two tables that each sat 4 and 4 seats at a bar. However, I think normally they squeeze in a third table and 2 more seats at the bar. They’re just giving people extra space due to Covid.
We were seated at a table and quickly picked out what we wanted to eat.
My husband ordered the special - strawberry cheesecake. It was shaved ice with a strawberry topping. It came with a side of cheesecake-flavored sauce (thinned sweet cream cheese) and a lemon wedge. The waitress instructed my husband to squeeze the lemon on his kakigori half way through the dessert.
Our son asked for kuromitsu kinako. Kuromitsu is a Japanese sugar syrup similar to molasses, but thinner and milder. It is often described as “black honey.” Kinako is a powder made from roasted soybeans that tastes a bit like roasted peanuts. The two flavors compliment each other very nicely. This choice made my husband laugh and say “does it taste like Japan?” because the flavors are so stereotypically Japanese.
I chose nutty avocado for my kakigori. It looked so creamy and unique. Avocados have been very popular in Tokyo for the last few years. We see avocado toast offered at restaurants and piles of them for sale at shops. But I still have yet to see an avocado sushi roll in this country. Although I've seen slices of the green fruit atop nigiri (raw fish on a ball of seasoned rice). At any rate, my trendy kakigori also came with a lemon wedge to squeeze on after I had devoured half of the mound of ice.
When the kakigori arrived, we were surprised by the size. It was almost the same size as our son’s head! He quickly said “maybe this will fill me up!”
All three of us greatly enjoyed our kakigori. We took bites of each other’s, but mainly stuck to our own choosing. My nutty avocado was creamy and fluffy, with big chunks of the green fruit. While I wouldn’t order it on a regular basis, it was delightful.
Although it took a while, our son finished his huge serving of kakigori. He liked the fact that it wasn’t overly sweet because the kinako balanced out the kuromitsu.
My husband said he would happily enjoy his strawberry cheesecake kakigori again and again.
We all felt it was worth the long bike ride to Ikebukuro for the fancy treats. Well, until we had to bike back home. By then, we were all really hot once again, making us wish the treats came at the end of a long bike ride and not just in the middle of it.
I sometimes wonder what kind of memories my son will have of his childhood. Will he have fond memories visiting shrines, playing in the park, and seeking out interesting kakigori during the sweltering summers of his youth? Or will it be something else?
I love reading this!! I had never had shave ice until Hawaii. Delicious!!! So fun to read about your childhood too!! Camille
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