Kakigōri – Shaved Ice

Kakigori stalls can be found through Japan during summer at any outdoor festival or food area at busy tourist spots. The lines can get pretty long on the hottest days and children tend to be unable to walk past without begging for one, especially if you get to mix and match the flavored syrup yourself. Common flavors are lemon, strawberry, cola, melon and usually you will either order and be given one flavor fully prepared or else they will hand over the plain ice and you can add as much syrup as you want (don’t over do it otherwise you will melt the ice instantly and are then just drinking sickly sweet water).

Quality when eating frozen water

Usually these flavored piles of shaved ice can be bought for around ¥300 however the quality does vary. The more expensive machines will finely shave the ice to the point that it melts on the tongue instantly and feels soft and not like ice at all (the Japanese called it fuwa-fuwa – “fluffy” ice). The cheaper machines will leave the shavings thicker and more crunchy, which just doesn’t elevate the experience beyond what you would expect from chomping on flavored ice (which is what you are doing).

You can also get more upmarket Kakigori at permanent stalls or in restaurants. Topping the ice with fresh fruit, cream and ice cream pushes the experience beyond just “eating flavored ice” and more to a proper dessert. They can get a bit over the top, and you will pay for that artistic expression. Just stick to someone with a basic but fresh topping and you will not end up paying over ¥800 for what is essentially frozen water.