Kakigori is an authentic summer ice sweet made with fine shavings of ice, or finely crushed ice, with syrup or condensed milk on top.

It has existed since a long time ago. It’s been described in books from the Heian Period, when the ice was still very expensive and considered a luxury. It was made with roughly shaved ice using small knives and juice from sweet plants served in metal dishes. Only rich or noble families could afford those.

Today, Kakigori is loved widely from children to adults as a feature of summer. Elements of Kakigori such as the taste of syrup, ingredients for the toppings such as azuki beans, sources of water for the ice, ways to crush the ice, and so on, have been researched and developed by each of the shops, resulting in a wide variety of choices.

There is one very famous Kakigori shop near Kitano Tenmangu in Kyoto. It’s highly recommended if you visit Japan in summer.