Popular and Unique 5 Japanese ice cream for summer!

In summer, many people want to eat something cold.

So, it is the best time to eat shave ice.

In the case of Japan, there are not only shave ice but also unique ice cream are on the shelf of stores.

Unique points are not just flavors, but also shape and texture.

Here are 5 unique Japanese ice cream for summer.

1:BIG Suica Bar

BIG Suica Bar is a kind of popsicle.

It looks like a slice of watermelon and the taste of it is also similar. Because it’s used watermelon juice.

And there are lots of chocolate puffs that express watermelon seeds.

The combination of the popsicle and chocolate puffs is perfect.

So, it has been really popular since 1986, but it’s only sold in the spring and summer seasons.

Review:

•Tastes: It isn’t used crushed ice so that the texture of it is smooth and you can enjoy the same taste until the last bite.

•Other recommend points: You can enjoy 2 different flavors in one popsicle. The bottom of it is green shave ice which expresses watermelon rind. It’s also used watermelon juice but the taste is little bit light. 

•Cost performance:★★★★★

It only costs 100 yen in convenience stores, but you can enjoy chocolate puffs and 2 different flavors of popsicles just in one. I think it’s worth buying it.

Official Site

2:Gari Gari Kun

Source:https://www.akagi.com/products/garigari/ume_stick.html 

Gari Gari Kun is a mix of popsicle and shaved ice.

The outside of it is a popsicle and the inside of it is shaved ice.

The price is around 70 yen, but the taste is really nice.

So, it has been really popular among people of all ages 1981.

Review:

•Tastes: The popular flavor is soda. It’s used apple juice and lime juice so that the taste is refreshing. 

•Other recommend points: There are lots of flavors.  Almost all are fruits flavors and they are used fruit juice. So you can enjoy real fruit flavor shaved ice.

•Cost performance:★★★★★

It only costs 70 yen in convenience stores, but it uses fruit juice. So, It’s really good quality. And shaved ice is covered with popsicles. So, you can enjoy not melted shaved ice until the last bite.

Official Site

3:Sacre

source:https://www.futabafoods.co.jp/catalog/2003/

Sacre is a shaved ice with a slice of lemon.

It uses lemon juice and pulp, but it’s a little bit sweet.

Since it has been sold in 1985, it’s popular, especially in summer.

When it was the extremely hot summer in 2018, it was sold out from every store.

Review:

•Tastes: It is not only sour taste but also sweet taste. That combination is best for summer. And crushed ice is crispy not like crunchy.

•Other recommend points: The quantity is 200ml. It is one of the biggest prepackaged shaved ice in Japan.

•Cost performance:★★★★☆

It costs 130 yen in convenience stores. There are lots of ice cream around that price. Though the taste is good, it is a little bit expensive in shaved ice categories.

Official Site

4:Ice No Mi

source:https://cp.glico.com/icenomi/flavor/#grape

Ice No Mi is a round shape gelato.

The outside of it is covered with thin ice. 

So it is not melted easily and you can eat it with your hands.

There are 12 pieces in one pack.

So you can share it with your friends.

Review:

•Tastes: It is really rich in flavor. Some of the fruit flavors use fruit juice which accounts for 80% of it.

•Other recommend points: They use seasonal fruits in every flavor. So they change flavor every season such as grape is switched to kyoho grape.

•Cost performance:★★★☆☆

It costs 140 yen in convenience stores. Of course, the taste is really good, but 1 piece is just 7ml. It’s just a bite. for me. So it’s not enough for me.

Official Site

5:Shirokuma

source:https://www.marunaga.com/product/shirokuma/

Shirokuma is a shaved ice with fruits and condensed milk.

It’s a famous food in Kyushu. So, many cafes in Kyushu sell it.

Marunaga Seika which is based in Kyushu makes prepackaged Shirokuma and sells it to every district of Japan.

Review:

•Tastes: It is filled with condensed milk, but it’s not much sweet. And there are azuki, mandarin orange, pineapple, and cherry sauce. The combination of shaved ice and other ingredients is really nice.

•Other recommend points: There are some other series. It contains ice cream and other fruits. And also, the amount is larger than the normal one. 

•Cost performance:★★★★☆

It costs 130 yen in convenience stores. This is the only one shaved ice with fresh fruits. It’s worth trying it. 

Official Site

Where is the best place to buy them?

When you come to Japan, you can find lots of convenience stores.

It’s easy to get them

But I recommend supermarkets instead of convenience stores.

Supermarkets always offer discounts. So you can get them at a reasonable price( sometimes 50% off!).