Karafune-ya Coffee’s Shirokuma Shaved Ice

　August is drawing to a close, yet the sweltering heat shows no sign of letting up. At times like this, when I eat shaved ice, I’m glad to be in Japan.

　With more and more shops taking pride in the quality of their ice and ingredients, shaved ice now costs around 2,000 yen. It’s gradually ceasing to be a casual treat, but at Karafune-ya Coffee, you can enjoy a generous portion for under 1,000 yen.

　This summer, they’ve introduced the ‘Shirokuma’ shaved ice. It’s a speciality from Kagoshima, featuring shaved ice generously drizzled with condensed milk and topped with fruit and red beans. The portion was so generous that I worried I wouldn’t be able to finish it on my own, but I managed to polish it off without getting that sharp headache. It’s a limited-time offer available until the end of September.