Of all the art-you-can-eat creations that seem to be trending in Japan these days, most use easily manipulated and relatively sturdy substances such as rice and grated daikon radish, plus obvious stuff like cake and marzipan. So if these trendy edible canvases rank an eight or a nine on a 1-to-10 food art skill rating, we’d have to wager that ice-based food art is cranking it up to 11. And with ice melting in a matter of minutes, you’d think somebody would have to be crazy to try and make an edible sculpture out of it.
We can picture it now: The poor, young shaved ice art prodigy ridiculed and shunned by the food art community, forced to take his craft to far-off Okinawa and a decrepit-looking shop on an unassuming corner to carry out his trade in relative anonymity.
That’s the romantic backstory we have in our heads for how Yonehachi Soba in Okinawa City found its resident shaved ice master, anyway. The below creations are apparently the work of a mohawked 20-something who works at the long-running store, and they look so complex and downright beautiful we’d be more inclined to rush them to the nearest air-conditioned museum than tuck in with a spoon:
▼ On second thought, we went with eating it…
The skill and innate talent that must be required to put these amazing sculptures together becomes even more apparent when you consider that they must be painstakingly hand-crafted with tiny shards of shaved ice that are quickly melting under the heat of the sculptor’s hands.
And to think of how viciously proud I was at the gorgeous macaroni duck I made for my mom at the tender age of 27.
Also sort of shocking is that Yonehachi Soba doesn’t even really seem to advertise the shaved ice sculptures. Soba, the place’s main dish, is right there in the name, while nothing but a generic, mass-produced sign for “shaved ice” even indicates the cold treat is on the menu at all.
▼ Come for the shaved ice, stay for the delicious soba.
A bowl of Yonehachi Soba’s “Triathlon Soba” – with three types of pork – and a shaved ice dessert will set you back the astonishingly cheap sum of just 950 yen (US$9.50). If you find yourself in Okinawa for whatever reason (you lucky devil…), be sure to check out Yonehachi Soba’s website for directions.
And if you want to try your own hand at a shaved ice sculpture, you can check out this delightfully quirky video of the anonymous Yonehachi Soba chef at work:
Source: Another Tokyo
New Japanese dish combines two summertime greats – soba noodles and kakigori shaved ice
Cafe turns Japan’s most beautiful paintings into beautiful shaved ice dessert drinks【Photos】
Do NOT eat this delicious looking bento and other Japanese food…because they’re not food!【Pics】
Gundam teams up with 300-year-old daruma maker for wood-carved anime mecha figures[Photos]
Tokyo’s new extra-expensive ramen restaurant is dividing opinions, so we tried a bowl
Japan’s instant ramen snack theme park features an athletic course even adults can enjoy
Used chopsticks upgraded from “waste” to “valuable material” by Kawasaki City thanks to ChopValue
Pizza Hut Japan’s drinkable curry pizza is here – Is it all we dreamed it would be?[Taste test]
Krispy Kreme releases new limited-edition fox doughnuts at only four stores in Japan
Japanese temple burns to the ground, fire burning inside for 1,200 years unharmed
Bizarre Japanese vending machine sells “Peace and Equality” and “Angels and Demons”
Kanji ice cream becomes a sell-out hit in Japan
Starbucks Japan hoping fans will go bananas for its new mottainai banana affogato Frappuccino
Japan has a new cute and clever sunblock for cat lovers
Tokyo’s life-size Gundam anime mecha statue will be removed this summer
This Tokyo Station sweets sensation sells out daily, but we finally got our hands on it
Japan’s izakaya pubs closing at record pace, failing to attract foreign tourists
Krispy Kreme Japan is bringing two special donuts to the most-forgotten big city in the country
Ichiraku Ramen-inspired ramen sets from Naruto anime pay homage to Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura
The story of our reporter P.K. Sanjun’s heart attack
The average age of Japan’s hikikomori shut-ins is getting older, survey shows
Japan enters Golden Week vacation period, survey shows one in three plan to ride it out at home
New Kyoto Converse sneakers celebrate Japan with traditional kimono fabrics for your feet
Japan’s new Pokémon jackets give you the look and powers of the Kanto starter trio
Japan now has gyoza doughnuts, and they taste like no other doughnut we’ve tried before
Tifa’s Final Fantasy VII bar is going to pop up in real-world Tokyo
Japan’s 5.3 million beautiful Hitachi Nemophila flowers are now in full bloom[Photos]
Japan’s human washing machines will go on sale to general public, demos to be held in Tokyo
Starbucks Japan releases new drinkware and goods for Valentine’s Day
We deeply regret going into this tunnel on our walk in the mountains of Japan
Starbucks Japan releases new sakura goods and drinkware for cherry blossom season 2026
Japan’s newest Shinkansen has no seats…or passengers [Video]
Major Japanese hotel chain says reservations via overseas booking sites may not be valid
Put sesame oil in your coffee? Japanese maker says it’s the best way to start your day【Taste test】
No more using real katana for tourism activities, Japan’s National Police Agency says
Japan reportedly adding Japanese language skill requirement to most common foreigner work visa