kakigori
Tokyo is packed full of delightful little neighborhoods, each with their own specialties. One of our favorite little neighborhoods is Tsukishima, renowned for Monja Street, an area overflowing with monjayaki restaurants. Located not far from Tsukiji Fish Market, it’s a great place for lunch when spending the day around Tokyo Bay.
But after eating a meal of monjayaki, you may have a hankering for something sweet. Fortunately, Cool Sweets, one of the best kakigori (shaved ice) places we’ve found yet, is located right on Monja Street! We recently stopped by to grab some photos and video of their delightful treats and highly recommend that you do too!
We’re not even halfway through summer here in Japan yet, and already we’ve seen a number of strange collaboration combinations, including barley and eel soda and soft-serve sushi.
This time we’d like to introduce another curious combination, in the form of a new Mercedes-Benz x Ice Monster shop that recently popped up in Roppongi, Tokyo. But what do luxury car makers know about making the perfect frozen ice treat? Our ever-popular reporter Mr. Sato heads out to investigate.
Popular Taiwanese kakigori (shaved ice) chain Ice Monster opened on Omotesando, the main boulevard of Tokyo’s trendy Harajuku neighborhood, at the end of April to five-hour waits. Even now, waits regularly extend over an hour, but the scuttlebutt was that it was worth it for the mountains of delicious, delicious shaved ice.
We braved the lines and the brain freeze to find out the truth for you, dear readers.
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.
A restaurant in the trendy Shimokitazawa neighborhood of Tokyo thought they would get into the spirit of Valentine’s Day by offering a limited edition chocolate kakigori, a traditional Japanese snack that involves putting toppings on shaved ice. There was only one small problem…
The best part of summer is, without question, all the delicious frozen foods!
Ice cream, frozen yogurt, sherbert, milkshakes, and, of course, shaved ice, or kakigori in Japanese, are some of the most delectable things to you can gobble down to help keep your cool this summer.
But, since this is Japan, simple kakigori with strawberry syrup just isn’t enough! Here’s some of the cutest shaved ice you’ll see this year!
MOST POPULAR
Now
Netizens annoyed that Japan Self-Defense Forces had to announce that aid workers can use restrooms
Heavy rain falls in Tokyo on day emperor is presented with Sword of Heavenly Gathering Clouds
Pokémon x Shu Uemura Pikashu makeup collection breaks the Internet
Tokyo’s Shibuya bans public drinking for Halloween, and here’s the affected area【Map】
Police officer found to be sex worker after leaving her gun in a public restroom
Japanese artist perfectly recreates Asahi Super Dry beer can in graphite pencil【Video】
You can make your own hot spring bath at this river in central Japan【Japan travel】
Pikachu and pals dress up as other Pokémon for Pokémon GO Halloween event, and we want them all
Over 80 percent of Kyoto Animation employees injured in arson attack have returned to work
Beautiful anime bus will take travelers to Your Name’s countryside setting starting this month
Weekly
Japanese women categorise male friends by levels of intimacy, from hugging to bathing
Man in China says he likes Pokémon’s Team Rocket on social media, company makes him issue apology
Tokyo has a bar that only lets you in if you come alone – No bringing your friends allowed!
Curry restaurants across Japan create social media movement: “Don’t blame the curry!”
Japan’s craziest, most terrifying video game arcade is going out of business【Photos】
Millennials in Japan Aren’t F**king 【Video】
Lost something on a Japanese train? Look for it at the railway’s lost-and-found market- Pikachu and pals dress up as other Pokémon for Pokémon GO Halloween event, and we want them all
New Starbucks Dark Night Frappuccino debuts at sunset with cup cosplay costumes for Halloween- Police officer found to be sex worker after leaving her gun in a public restroom
Monthly
PewDiePie buys house in Japan, calls it “a dream come true”
Naruto’s author Kishimoto reveals what characters’ names would’ve been if editor didn’t intervene
Japanese Phantom Cheesecake: A sweet so popular 2,000 sold in ten minutes
Japanese Mame Shiba Inu banknote design pays homage to nation’s beloved dog
You can now turn your smartphone into a Pokémon Pokédex thanks to Bandai【Photos】
We took advantage of Burger King’s Whopper Jr. sale in an extreme way- Japanese women categorise male friends by levels of intimacy, from hugging to bathing
Kyoto Animation will use none of its arson donations for business recovery, all of it for victims
Pakistani Japanese citizen is tired of the cops asking him for his foreign resident card
Hayao Miyazaki has turned down multiple offers from Hollywood to make live-action Nausicaa movie
Yearly
Which Pokémon are you? Official quiz reveals your Poké-personality, and how to take it in English- PewDiePie buys house in Japan, calls it “a dream come true”
- Naruto’s author Kishimoto reveals what characters’ names would’ve been if editor didn’t intervene
We asked a Niantic insider 30 questions about Pokémon Go, learned a lot of useful information
Japanese woman stumbles on the power of the infamous “gaijin seat” phenomenon during flight
Why do Japanese recycle bins have two openings but dump everything into the same compartment?
Tokyo public schools will stop forcing students with non-black hair to dye it, official promises- Japanese Phantom Cheesecake: A sweet so popular 2,000 sold in ten minutes
Japanese baseball teen refuses walk after getting hit by pitch, follows up with home run【Video】
50-year-old Japanese woman pulls off amazing Love Live! anime idol cosplay【Photos】
RECOMMENDED STORIES
Japanese artist perfectly recreates Asahi Super Dry beer can in graphite pencil【Video】
You can make your own hot spring bath at this river in central Japan【Japan travel】
Pikachu and pals dress up as other Pokémon for Pokémon GO Halloween event, and we want them all
Over 80 percent of Kyoto Animation employees injured in arson attack have returned to work
Beautiful anime bus will take travelers to Your Name’s countryside setting starting this month
Dine at Akihabara’s Dorami and get all-you-can-eat mapo tofu, plus delicious dumplings and more
All-you-can-eat yakiniku in Shinjuku for less than 10 bucks!
Video of each Japanese hiragana getting “measured up” is oddly cute and satisfying【Video】
Japan Travel: Explore a hidden cave on a tiny monorail roller coaster thrill ride in Nara
Curry restaurants across Japan create social media movement: “Don’t blame the curry!”
Japan exits Rugby World Cup, captain Michael Leitch wins with his +64 Cafe in Tokyo
Godzilla constellation recognized by NASA as King of the Monsters claims a corner of space
Japanese girls are not just skinny any more!? Chubby girls are in!
-
