Kakigōri, Japan's Icy Summer Treat
There are variations of shaved ice desserts the world over. Kakigōri is Japan's take.
The defining sound of summer when I was growing up in New York City was the Mr. Softee jingle blaring over loudspeakers from an ice cream truck. I cannot hear it without reminiscing about long-ago childhood summers replete with memories of sweltering heat and jelly sandals and cooling off in the sprinklers at the playground or an open fire hydrant on the street. If there was no Mr. Softee truck in the vicinity you could get Marino’s Italian Ices or a flat plastic flavor ice from the bodega.
Better still was a shaved ice from the one of the men or women who walked the neighborhood parks and sidewalks with pushcarts. Some had old-fashioned carts with an umbrella attached to provide shade for a massive block of ice, fruit flavored syrups in glass bottles and a hand shaver. (They almost always had little transistor radios tuned in to a ball game or music.) Others had mini freezers on wheels with three to five tubs of lemon, cherry, coconut and other fruit flavored icee inside but most folks just ordered by color; as in I’ll have a red icee with a scoop of rainbow on top.
NY is a mini United Nations and depending on the neighborhood you found yourself in could determine what your frozen treat was called. Shaved ice is called piragua in Puerto Rico, and raspado in Mexico. In DR it’s frio-frio. My favorite was the Honduran Delicioso coco helado I used to go out of my way to get on the corner of Broadway and Lafayette in Manhattan right outside the F train subway stop. Coco helado is a fruit icee, but the addition of coconut milk makes it closer to sherbert. Though there are slight variations in shape (pyramid or globe), consistency (finely shaved or crushed) and serving container (paper cone, plain or pleated cup) these desserts all share foundational ingredients of ice and flavored syrup.
In Tokyo, the high-definition, surround-sound experience of cicadas singing - especially in areas dense with trees and foliage - is the defining sound of summer. Their singing cannot be ignored. They are the loudest insect on the planet. Summer in Tokyo is hot and humid. It compares to nothing I’ve experienced before weather-wise. It is rare the conversation in the month of August that does not start with, “Atsui desu ne?” which basically means, “It’s hot, isn’t it?” And the reply, in English or Japanese, is always the same: “Sou desu ne” or “It is.” Usually you utter this phrase while you dab an extra absorbent handkerchief across your brow in an attempt to appear as though you have not just emerged from a dunk tank at an old-timey amusement park. The humidity is thick and walking can feel like swimming - like you can push the air aside with your arms - which makes it the perfect weather for one of my favorite Japanese desserts: kakigōri.
Like frio-frio and piragua, kakigōri is a shaved ice dessert made with ice and sweetened syrup as its primary ingredients. Variations include the addition of condensed milk. Sometimes it’s served with toppings such as fruit, ice cream, or mochi. The biggest difference I have found between kakigōri and other shaved ice desserts is that kakigōri consistently has the softest and fluffiest ice. Flavors range from traditional fare such as strawberry, melon, yuzu or ume, to sencha and hojicha, to chocolate and cotton candy. When matcha flavored kakigōri is served atop a layer of sweetened anko with gum ball-sized shiratama dango (a type of mochi dumpling) on the side, it’s called ujikintoki. I only mention this because ujikintoki is my favorite 😍.
Kakigōri dates back hundreds of years to the Heian period (794 – 1185) and used to be a luxury treat that only the very rich could afford to enjoy. These days you can purchase an inexpensive plug-in and make kakigōri at home. The machines are basically a step up from the Snoopy Sno Cone machine from back in the day - and honestly, just as much fun.
When we first arrived in Tokyo in the summer of 2019 I remember passing a line of folks waiting to enter a small ground level eatery. It was so hot that staff from the store handed out umbrellas and hand-held fans to the waiting patrons. It is not unusual to see folks patiently lined up in wait to gain entry to any number of things in Japan, but I was curious about what on earth was worth lining up for in such ridiculously hot weather. I was too new to the country to read the sign hanging out front that indicated it was a kakigōri specialty shop but now I know better. Like the sound of cicadas, the sight of kakigōri flags hanging outside a store front indicates the height of the summer season. It only lasts a few months but it’s well worth the wait.
A Few Things:
There are variations of shaved ice desserts the world over. One day I’d love to try Bingsu in Korea, halo-halo in the Philippines, and Grattachecca in Rome. In Hawaii, Japanese immigrants brought their knowledge of kakigōri which resulted in shave ice flavors like lychee, lilikoi and pineapple! YUM!
The Good Humor ice cream truck also has a nostalgic and popular jingle in the US. However, in 2020, the company partnered with RZA from Wu-Tang Clan to create something new to replace the racist song it was based on. Wu-Tang is for the children!
Sakurai Tea shop in Minamiaoyama uses a beautiful vintage machine to make their incredible hojicha kakigōri. It is absolutely worth a visit if you are in Tokyo during the summer months. I also love the kakigiro at Toraya!
TELL ME:
Do you have a favorite summer specific dessert? Let’s talk about it in the comments.🍧
This was wonderful. Thanks for reminding me of the kanji for koori--unlike a lot of kanji, it makes perfect visual sense
Visiting Toraya for kakigōri with you and Ian will always be one of our favourite Tokyo memories!