Eating Matcha Kakigōri (Shaved Ice) & Dango Desserts in Kyoto, Japan

Another food post! Kakigōri is a very popular summer dessert in Japan and is one of my favourites. I think there's a nostalgia to it though as one of my favourite Japanese films called 'Megane' features this shaved ice dessert. I've never been in to anime but I tend to prefer independent films that are based on everyday life. In this film they use a hand cutting tool to shave the ice and eat this dessert on the beach, so I'm always reminded of this scene when I eat Kakigōri in Japan and it brings back nice imagery.

I ate this dessert in Wazuka near Kyoto, this location is special as it's known for growing tea and their speciality is high quality matcha used in the tea ceremony. This first picture includes matcha ice cream, matcha flavoured shaved ice, mochi, cream and red bean paste. The second picture is dango, a Japanese dumpling and sweet made from mochiko, also related to mochi. It's very sticky but has a subtle, sweet taste.

If you're in Japan I recommend trying these dishes as you can usually find them in most dessert shops. You can actually order them even in the colder months but you may get some strange looks from fellow Japanese! Who cares, you're a tourist! haha You might as well enjoy all the different types of food that are on offer. As someone said in the comments of my previous post, Japan has really perfected food and it plays a vital part on the overall culture.