I still want to eat it! Take a cool break with Kyoto's unique shaved ice!

Summer in Kyoto is still hot even after the Obon holidays! Have you already made your first shaved ice this year?
In Kyoto, a variety of stores, including sweet shops, cafes, and tea stores, offer shaved ice in a variety of styles.

We have visited and tasted shaved ice at six stores, and we would like to introduce you to some of their recommendations.

Table of Contents

■Cute shaved ice at Sekando

■Shaved ice at Chabo Isehan

■Cool shaved ice at "Tea and Sake Tasuki Shinpukan

■Dusty shaved ice at "omo café

■Shaved ice at Saryo FUKUCHA Kyoto Station

■Showa-era retro shaved ice at Umekodo

■Cute shaved ice at Sekando

Now, we start from the north of Kyoto city!
The first one we will introduce is Sekando.
This shaved ice shop is owned by "Second House," a company founded in 1977 that operates cake and spaghetti stores in Kyoto and Shiga. The president of the company himself planned this store.

I received the Peach Fruit Espuma.

The softly shaved spring water ice from the foot of Mt. Suzuka is filled with homemade syrup made with only natural sweetness such as beet sugar.
In addition, espuma is served in a heaping pile, Sekando-style.
The fresh peaches on top of the peaches are a luxurious treat.

Other original menu items include "Strawberry Milk Nerated Milk Espuma with Fresh Strawberry Jelly" with jelly hidden in the ice, and "Yuzu Kakigori (shaved ice)" using Tokushima Prefecture yuzu flavor and honey from Higuchi Beekeeping in Fushimi Ward, Kyoto City!
You can enjoy the natural and gentle taste that only handmade products can provide.

Store Name:World Hall
Address: Abita Kitashirakawa 1F SECONDHOUSE CAKE WORKS Ginkakuji Store, 100-25 Jodoji Nishida-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto
Phone: 075-752-9004

HP:http://www.secondhouse.co.jp/sekandou/index.html

■Shaved ice at Chabo Isehan

Next is "Isehan" in Demachiyanagi.
Demachiyanagi is known for "Demachi Futaba," where you can find long lines of people waiting to get their bean paste, but Isehan's sweet treats are also outstanding! Their handmade, royal sweet treats made with carefully selected ingredients are sure to soothe your soul.

The cream anmitsu is often served with fluffy agar, chunky green tea jelly, fluffy agar, flavorful azuki beans, and milky soft-serve ice cream, all of which are delicious and a perfect combination.

And the shaved ice I got this time was "Kuromitsu Kintoki Milk".

It is made with fine ice, rich brown sugar from Hateruma Island in Okinawa, condensed milk, and Tamba Dainagon azuki beans. It is delicious eaten separately, or of course, you can enjoy the mixed flavors.
I get serious thinking about which ingredients to scoop into each other and in which balance to eat each bite (laughs).
Another flavor that has many fans is "sudachi ice," made with 1001 TP3T of Tokushima Prefecture-grown sudachi juice. The freshness of freshly squeezed sudachi is irresistible!

It will be reopened in March 2022, and take-out such as anmitsu (sweet bean paste) and soft-serve ice cream is also available, so please try it when you want to eat in but don't have time.

Store Name:Loban
Address: 242 Seiryu-cho, Kawaramachi Imadegawa-agaru, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto-shi, Kyoto
Phone: 075-231-5422

HP:https://isehan-kyoto.com/

■Cool shaved ice at "Tea and Sake Tasuki Shinpukan

The next restaurant is "Tea and Sake Tasuki Shinpukan" located in Shinpukan directly connected to the south ticket gate of Karasuma-Oike Station.
There are about 20 seats in the contemporary space, and both eat-in and take-out are available.
One of the features of this restaurant is that you can enjoy shaved ice made with alcoholic beverages, such as "sake ice - sencha gin lime - Aoyama-josho" and "sake ice - lemon sour. During the hot season, it is a good idea to grab a shaved ice as an aperitif at the first stop.

This time, I tried the Seasonal Ice Grapefruit Yogurt.

The shaved ice was created based on the concept of "what we want people to eat on hot summer mornings."
The bittersweet syrup with peel made from two types of grapefruit, white and ruby, is refreshing and clean!
The mildness of the yogurt whip and the bitterness of the grapefruit complement each other deliciously.
The freshness of the two types of grapefruit accented the menu and made it very satisfying... ♪
This is a July-only menu, so you will be able to enjoy a different menu each month.

It is open until 9:00 p.m., which is relatively late for this area, making it a convenient place to stop by after sightseeing or dining.

Store Name:Tea and Sake Tasakisushi Shinpukan
Address: 586-2, Bano-cho, Anekoji-sagaru, Karasuma-dori, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto
Phone: 075-744-1139

HP:https://shinpuhkan.jp/shops_restaurants/tasuki/

■Dusty shaved ice at "omo café

Next is omo café, located in the center of the city. It is a 10-minute walk from Kawaramachi Station on the Hankyu Kyoto Line and a 15-minute walk from Shijo Station on the subway Karasuma Line.

In a tasteful space renovated from a traditional Kyoto townhouse, you can enjoy meals such as a rice plate with assorted side dishes, a spice-scented curry set, and a sirloin steak set, as well as Japanese sweets.
On this day, we had the Uji Matcha Milk Kintoki.
The syrup is made with premium matcha green tea from Marukyu Koyamaen in Uji. The tea flavor is rich!
There are azuki beans and milk that are not too sweet. And the mochi (sticky rice cake) of shiratama (white beans) that appear from time to time.
It was a royal shaved ice with a high degree of perfection, each doing a good job.

My friend ordered the "shaved ice with peaches," which he said was made with a whole peach.
It was truly a "peach-filled" dream...!

Store Name:Japanese sweets and creative cuisine omo café
Address: 499 Umeya-cho, Nishikikoji-agaru, Fuyacho-dori, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto
Phone: 075-221-7500

HP:http://www.secondhouse.co.jp/omoya/omocafe.html

■Shaved ice at Saryo FUKUCHA Kyoto Station

Saryo FUKUCHA Kyoto Station Store is located on the second floor of the central exit of Kyoto Station, the gateway to Kyoto, just up the escalator from the central ticket gate on the first floor, making it a great place to stop by while waiting for a train or in between sightseeing. The interior of the store is decorated with lots of wood, creating a warm and relaxing atmosphere.

We had the “Japanese Black Tea Tiramisu Shaved Ice”. The ice is filled with Japanese black tea ice cream and mascarpone cream, and topped with a "tea" flavored syrup to resemble tiramisu. The puree of white peaches and Japanese black tea are a perfect match!
There are also "Matcha Tiramisu Shaved Ice" with raspberry puree and matcha ice cream, and "Banana Puree and Hojicha Ice Cream" with banana puree and hojicha ice cream, so you can choose according to your mood.

This café is produced by Fukujuen, a long-established Kyoto-style tea shop established in Kansei 2. In addition to this café, there is a main store on the corner of Shijo Tominokoji, a nine-story building that sells not only tea, but also sweets, dishes, tea utensils, and tea ceremony utensils. Uji City also has Uji Tea Studio, Uji Tea Confectionery Studio, and Uji Tea House, so if you visit Uji, you will be able to enjoy the secrets of tea.

Store Name:Saryo FUKUCHA Kyoto Station Branch
Address: 2F Kyoto Station Building Central Exit, 901 Higashishioji-cho, Shiokoji-gori, Karasuma-dori, Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto City, Kyoto
Phone: 075-744-0552

HP:https://fukucha-fukujuen.com/

■Showa-era retro shaved ice at Umekado

Umekado was established in 1953. It is a long-established sweet shop located in Imakumano near Tofukuji Temple.
Since Kyoto Women's University, a prestigious women's college in Kyoto, is located nearby, the area is always bustling with local people and female students with a sweet tooth.

Umekado offers an extensive menu of over 40 items, including pancakes, parfaits, shaved ice, and more. And the items on the menu list are illustrated rather than photographed, which is cute & super retro♪ There is also a nostalgic air in the store.

The recommended shaved ice is "Fruit Milk Cream". It consists of milk-flavored ice cream, seasonal fruits, ice cream, and shiratama (white rice balls). The fruit changes with the season, and this time there was watermelon and melon. The fruit, ice cream, and ice are plentiful and make you really happy.
Other tasty items include "Brown Sugar Kinako Milk Shiguregyo," which is known for its bold application of kinako, and "Tropical Mango Ice," which is a delicious harmony of pulpy mango sauce and condensed milk.

From September to May, you can enjoy another signature dish, pancakes.
The moist, fluffy, thick, traditional pancakes are also excellent!
If you plan to visit Tofukuji Temple during the fall foliage season, be sure to stop by.

Store Name:Umegado (temple building)
Address: 6 Imakumano-Hozo-cho, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto-shi, Kyoto
Phone: 075-561-3256

HP:https://twitter.com/baikoudo

Every shaved ice shop has its own unique flavor, so it's hard to decide which one to try.... We have selected shaved ice shops in various areas, so please try them according to your sightseeing schedule.