Tokyo's Best Kakigori: Where to Eat Shaved Ice Like a Local

When talking about summer in Japan, you absolutely have to experience the amazing fireworks and delicious shaved ice!

A summertime treat like no other, this ice confection is crafted from delicately shaved ice, reminiscent of a petite mountain of soft snow. It's as delicate as the powder snow of Hokkaido, and just as sweet as cotton candy, drizzled with a delicious fruit syrup.

You're going to love how different it is from shaved ice overseas. The volume and softness of the ice are simply unbelievable! Its fluffy texture will cool you down and make the perfect companion for summer.

Shaved ice is no longer just a summer treat; it’s becoming a year-round favorite here in Japan! Shaved ice specialty shops are popping up all over Japan, one after another. With over 20 stores spread across Tokyo's 23 wards, there's always something new to discover! Among them, the first shaved ice specialty shop to open in Tokyo in 2011 is Himitsudo, located in the charming neighborhood of Yanaka near Ueno, a five-minute walk from Nippori station on the JR Yamanote line. 

Team Musubi visited Himitsudo in early June, and it was an incredible experience!

Let's start the fascinating history of shaved ice in Japan before diving into the story of Himitsudo. The first shaved ice shop in Japan made its grand debut in 1862 during the Meiji period (1868–1912 CE), marking the start of a delicious adventure. It all started when a Yokohama shaved ice shop brought ice from Hakone to make shaved ice. At the time, there were rumors that shaved ice was bad for your stomach, making it hard to sell. But once people discovered it was safe to eat and began lining up for hours, especially in the summer! This trend has resurfaced today, and Himitsudo in Tokyo is the place to be for summer. Their original shaved ice is to die for, and the line in the summer and on weekends is totally worth it.

The day we visited Himitsudo was early June, and it was already a scorching hot summer day. The weather was absolutely perfect for shaved ice! The small shop was bustling with customers from 10 a.m., and there were several people waiting, creating a lively atmosphere. The eight seats at the counter and the three tables in the back were already full of people excited to dig into the big mountain of shaved ice.

Shaved ice in the morning might sound surprising, but it's becoming a must-try breakfast substitute for young people, just like having a piece of toast or a croissant.

The owner, Morinishi Koji, happily says, “When summer comes, our shop is so crowded that people line up outside and numbered tickets are handed out.” It's incredible to know that the amount of ice used in a year is more than 20,000 kilograms (more than 44,000 pounds)— that's roughly the weight of ten 2-ton trucks!

During the summer season, Himitsudo hires 100 part-time workers! Clearly, it is super crowded. On one of the hottest days of last week, reaching 34°C (93°F), no fewer than 50 people waited for almost one hour to get into the shop. But it’s worthwhile waiting. It’s guaranteed that you will be blown away by the taste of shaved ice.

Upon entering the shop, you'll find two young staff members placing a high-density ice block in a manual shaving machine and shaving it into a fluffy shape by vigorously moving their arms non-stop. The ice block weighs almost 3.75 kilograms (about 8 pounds) and is split in half with an ice pick to be set in the machine. They shave an ice block 132 times per glass bowl, ensuring a perfect finish every time. The trick to making fluffy shaved ice is to catch the shaved ice from the machine in a way that forms a beautiful mountain shape while moving a glass bowl. Also, another trick is to use a manual shaving machine.

"Many shaved ice specialty shops use automatic shavers, but we are particular about shaving the ice with a traditional manual shaving machine that can create air between the shaved ice, resulting in soft and fluffy shaved ice," Morinishi explains.

Then they pour a ladle of 100% fruit juice syrup over a softly shaved ice in a glass bowl. It looks like a mountain covered with beautifully colored snow.

The secret behind Himitsudo's unparalleled popularity lies in its syrup, crafted from nothing but the finest 100% freshly squeezed fruit juice and a touch of sugar. They are particular about never using syrup diluted with water or pre-made syrups containing coloring agents.

Their menu is versatile and incredible—there are five different bases and many choices of syrup! First, you choose one among five bases: the most orthodox and simplest one is fruit juice only, or fruit juice with homemade condensed milk and whipped cream, or homemade condensed milk with yogurt, or others. Then, choose the main syrup from over 30 varieties ranging from Japanese-style flavors like brown sugar and soy bean yellow flour kinako, fruit flavors such as pineapple, peach, mandarin orange, and even matcha flavors! They have seasonal vegetable flavors too, such as corn, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, chestnuts, and others. New seasonal menu items are introduced every month. Since 2011, Morinishi has created over 300 flavors!

It is absolutely hard to choose one. Strawberry flavor has been a signature since the store first opened, and it's no surprise why!

The strawberries are either organically grown in Akita, Tohoku, only for Himitsudo and sent directly to the shop, or, if they are out of season, strawberries from Shizuoka, a famous production area, are used. The owner visited farmers from Hokkaido to Okinawa who grow fruits such as strawberries, melons, mangoes, peaches, and citrus fruits, and carefully selected ones that have lots of juice to perfectly complement the shaved ice. The classic mangoes are even grown at Himitsudo Farm in Okinawa. You can be sure you're getting only the very best fruit syrup!

The Musubi team ordered three different flavors: strawberry, melon, and matcha.

The melon flavor was absolutely incredible. A slice of melon was placed on top of the ice in a way that resembled a samurai helmet. As you eat the ice, you get to reach the delicious whipped cream inside. All three flavors—the ice, melon juice, and whipped cream—blend together perfectly in the mouth, and its taste changes into an almost melon cream parfait. Once the ice melts, you can enjoy it like a smoothie.

The strawberry flavor is amazing—drenched in rich, delicious strawberry juice, with the perfect balance of the sourness of the strawberries and the sweetness of the syrup. The matcha flavor is inspired by the majestic Mt. Fuji, with its pristine white peak and lush green base. The bitterness of the matcha packs a punch, making every sip a truly unique experience.

Of the three, the melon is the sweetest. It's a blast to order different things and share them with friends, spouses, or couples. No matter what you're craving, the menu has got you covered! With so many delicious options, you're guaranteed to have a blast picking what you want to try.

It doesn't make your stomach cold or your head numb. Even though it's shaved ice, it makes you full as if you were eating lunch.

The texture of the ice is what makes it refreshing; it's so fluffy that it leaves your mouth feeling as clean as a whistle. Morinishi explains the secret of their ice, “To create a soft texture that instantly melts in your mouth, we partially melt the ice before shaving it. There isn't a specific temperature at which I start shaving; the condition of the ice depends on the day's temperature and humidity.”

Their ice is crafted by ice brewers in Nikko, which is famous for World Heritage shrines and temples, and hot springs, using mineral-rich spring water during the chilly months of January and February and letting it rest for two weeks. This way of making the ice helps create the dense and hard ice block that doesn't melt easily, even when shaved. It's incredible that three of the seven ice brewers in Japan are located in Nikko, which is a testament to the area's high-quality spring water.

You might be surprised to know that there are ice brewers who make spring water frozen into blocks and preserved in ice cellars. Ice brewing began 1300 years ago in the Nara period (710–794 CE) to be served as a treat to the emperor. From the Heian period (794–1185 CE) onward, people stored frozen water in the winter in storage facilities called "himuro" that were built deep inside cellars or caves at the foot of the mountains. When it came to the summer, the ice was transported to the capital, Kyoto, to be used in the Imperial Palace to cool off from the heat.

Shop owner Morinishi says, "We use fresh fruit juice because we want to make something that is good for your health. It all began when I made shaved ice for my son using a household shaved ice machine."

He eagerly squeezed some grapefruit he had at home, added sugar, and poured it over shaved ice for his son. Morinishi loved seeing his son eat it with a smile. So he always made grapefruit juice shaved ice on hot summer days.

At the time, he never dreamed he would open a shaved ice specialty store. He worked as a kabuki actor, dedicating six years to training under a famous kabuki star.

"It was a tough world to become a kabuki actor, and I couldn't make a living as an apprentice at age 30, so I was thinking about changing my profession to be a restaurant owner."

Morinishi had a passion for cooking, having worked part-time at a restaurant, so what could have possibly led him to end up running a shaved ice specialty shop instead of a restaurant?

When he went camping with his son and his friends’ families, he made shaved ice for everyone, and it was a big hit! A group of young people who happened to be at the campsite came up to him and asked if he could sell it. That experience encouraged him to try selling his shaved ice at local summer festivals and fireworks festivals.

It was surprising for him to find that there were so many shaved ice stalls! They were so competitive selling shaved ice only for 100 yen (less than a dollar), but Morinishi was selling them for 300 yen! However, it turned out that he got so many customers waiting in a long line. People loved Morinishi’s recipe for 100% squeezed fruit juice syrup.

"I gained confidence that I could make a living selling shaved ice."

He opened the shop in May 2011. At that time, there were only two shaved ice shops in Japan. His first shaved ice shop in Tokyo and first shop serving fruit juice syrup was the place for locals to drop by. He soon encountered the issue of how to attract customers in winter when late autumn arrived. No one wanted to eat shaved ice in winter. Some days, only one or two customers came. One day, he came up with the incredible idea of serving up "piping hot gratin dishes" to pair with the cold shaved ice to attract customers!

His idea worked fine. The number of customers increased, and at one point, he expanded the hot menu items beyond just gratin, and the shaved ice shop turned into a restaurant. So he decided to stick to hot gratin dishes.

The shop's popularity soared when it was featured on a business TV news program as an "interesting winter service," drawing in office workers and men from all over Japan. After that, other TV programs and magazines featured Himitsudo. As you can imagine, crowds of people visited Himitsudo, and Himitsudo became a must-try shaved ice shop.

The recent trend for year-round shaved ice craze has made Himitsudo a hopping place, buzzing with excitement and delicious flavors.

It's open from 9 am to 6 pm, and from 8 am on weekends. During the summer, from July 17th to September 1st, it is open every day from 8 am to 7 pm—perfect timing for a summer getaway!

The name of the shop, ‘Himitsu’, means 'ice confectionery', and ‘Dou’ means 'shop' or 'house’ where a lot of people gather. It also has another meaning: a hideaway for everyone. Himitsudo is an absolute gem of a shop, serving up mouthwatering shaved ice that is so good, even the most food-savvy folks would be thrilled to keep it under wraps.

You've absolutely got to stop by this shop when you're strolling around Yanaka during the hot summer!

Here's a delicious grapefruit flavor in just the right amount for one serving!

In addition to Himitsudo’s recipe, be sure to check out Team Musubi’s previous article, "Creative Kakigori: How to Make Japanese Shaved Ice at Home." If you give kakigori a try, let us know in the comments — we’d love to hear how it went!