I went to the "Saryo" on the second floor of the Teramachi store and had some shaved ice. My great-grandmother used to say she was "drinking ice." It was a way of speaking in the Kyoto and Uzumasa area, whether it was from the Meiji era is uncertain. I remember when I was a child, I told my mother it was strange, and she said, "You don't chew it, you melt it in your mouth and drink it, so it's fine." Recently, there are even restaurants claiming that curry and tonkatsu are drinks, so the resistance seems to have decreased. The store is located on Teramachi Street in Kyoto. You pass by "Kameya Yoshinaga," famous for its "Oike Senbei," cross Oike Street, pass by the former vegetable shop that sold the "lemons" that Kajii Motojiro set up at Maruzen, pass by the monument of Ihara Saikaku, and head towards "Murakami Kaishindo" and "Ippodo Tea Co." Before that, there is this store. Furthermore, beyond that, there is a well-known store for Kyoto residents, "Toyomatsudo," but it seems to be of little interest to tourists. In the past, the "Chitose Ame" of Kyoto's shrines was mostly from that store. By the way, Ippodo Tea Co. is currently being renovated and closed at its quaint store on Teramachi Street, and is temporarily operating just around the corner. Now, about this store. Although I am originally from Kyoto, it is my first time entering this Teramachi store. I have tasted the "ayu" from "Nijo Wakasaya" several times, but I don't know much about the others. Just as people from Tokyo may not know all the famous confectioneries from Azabu-Juban or from Nihonbashi, Asakusa, Kameido, Sugamo, etc., not knowing the famous confectioneries from Kyoto may make you feel like you are being harshly judged as a fake Kyotoite. (laughs) I went up to the second floor tea room, placed my order, and waited for a while. They served "baked chestnuts." Large, beautiful chestnuts are wrapped in whole chestnut paste and baked on the surface. Delicious. However, honestly, it was not a good idea to eat it first with a mouth full of ice in the scorching heat. I should have sandwiched some of it between the ice. "Ume shaved ice," without resting, I transported the fluffy ice into my mouth and let it melt. The rich plum syrup, like Choya's non-alcoholic plum wine, is also delicious. Inside, there is agar made with black sugar from Hateruma. I thought it was like plum yokan, pulled by the deep plum flavor. Slightly sweet and rich plum taste, and clean ice. First, it's cold. Slightly sweet. Deep plum aftertaste. Delicious. The coolness of Kyoto's summer. Thank you, it was a feast. In the tea room on the second floor, there were also various confectionery molds displayed. I'm not sure, but there were probably hanging scrolls and calligraphy for those who are interested in such things. (By Kyoto Natsushuusora, 2023.7.17)

I got off at exit 1F and chose one chestnut to take home, paying 345 yen with a card. While complaining that the shaved ice wasn't very sweet, they gave me a bonus. Next, I will head north to one of the top 100 traditional Japanese sweets and dessert shops. When I got home and chilled it, the bonus was a typical type with a hard outside and soft inside, which was okay. The chestnut had a coating of sweet bean paste on the outside and was quite delicious.

Arrived around 12:00 and was able to eat on the 2nd floor. Had to wait a bit on the 1st floor before being seated on the front table on the 2nd floor. Ordered "Cool~Summer Memories~" without alcohol. Received some snacks after about 4 minutes - the purple one was okay, but the chestnut one was delicious. Shaved ice arrived about 12 minutes late and was instructed to eat from the middle to prevent it from collapsing. It looked good, but the taste was not very sweet. The liquid jelly inside gave some flavor to the ice, but it lacked sweetness. The mochi was tasty though. The water yokan with a goldfish inside was visually appealing. Paid the bill at the table using a card and left for the 1st floor after paying 1650 yen.

Cool ~ Summer Memories ~ ¥1760 If you order without whiskey syrup, you get a ¥110 discount. I was looking for the Earl Grey, but it turned out that there was jelly at the bottom. Be careful when eating from the outside, as the jelly inside may spill out.

When I bought a donut at 3.73 Hitsuji, I was planning to go home, but I found this place and decided to visit. I arrived at the restaurant at 12:45 with no wait. When I looked at the machine at the reception on the first floor, it said there was a wait for one group for 18 minutes, so I was thinking about what to do, but then the staff guided me to the second floor cafe where there was seating available. I ordered the regular size Uji Kin Toki. At 12:49, I was served with complimentary chestnut and amber sugar snacks. At 12:55, the Uji Kin Toki was served. I left the restaurant at 13:42. The shaved ice, which had a slightly luxurious feel to it, was very delicious. Thank you for the meal.

Today I bought souvenirs at this shop. This shop near Kyoto City Hall is my first visit. The main reason for coming here was to try their famous Ie-ki Imo. There were three types of Ie-ki Imo available: smooth red bean paste, chunky red bean paste, and white bean paste. This time, I selected the chunky red bean paste. It had a refined and gentle sweetness, and was delicious. Thank you for the meal.

Kyoto - Kyoto City Hall [Nijo Wakasaya Teramachi Store] ☑️涼 ¥1760 Cute, delicious, and fun! Goldfish shaved ice ⋆꙳ ▶️ Inside a large ice container, goldfish swim in a chewy jelly ˚✧ The ice is lemon-flavored and sweet and sour, perfect for such a hot day ☀️ ▶️ An Irish whiskey is included separately, and when poured over, it transforms into a mature taste! It was very delicious ⋆꙳ We also received chestnut wagashi as a complimentary dish. The eat-in tickets are distributed starting at 9 am ✼••┈┈┈┈••✼••┈┈┈┈••✼ [Nijo Wakasaya Teramachi Store] 67 Enokicho, Teramachi-dori Nijo-sagaru, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto, Kyoto 10:30 am to 5:00 pm (L.O. 4:30 pm) Tickets distributed from 9 am 5 minutes walk from Subway Kyoto City Hall ✼••┈┈┈┈••✼••┈┈┈┈••✼

I was lucky to get in without waiting in line, but had to wait to enter when leaving. I ordered a goldfish bowl-shaped shaved ice and Uji Kin-to shaved ice, both limited to August. The shaved ice had jelly with goldfish swimming in it, surrounded by lemon-flavored ice. It looked cool and cute. It was also quite filling. If I were to order again, I might go for the classic Uji Kin-to. LOL

I was able to enter the second floor right when the store opened with ticket number 8. The seating is limited, so I recommend getting there early to get a ticket. The shaved ice looked fresh and tasted good, but there was one disappointing aspect. Firstly, despite the small number of customers in the store, there were instances of forgetting to take orders. I patiently waited, thinking they must be busy, but then they started taking orders for those who arrived later and were serving their shaved ice before ours. I politely asked them to take our order, to which they apologized. However, it was clear that orders from customers who arrived later were being prioritized. The lack of background music in the store made conversations easily audible, so I refrained from making comments that could disrupt the atmosphere. They took the orders, prepared them in the kitchen, served them, collected payment, and cleaned up after customers finished eating. This is not a difficult task, in my opinion. As I have aged, I have come to realize that the impression and evaluation of a restaurant are also influenced by the quality of customer service. I believe those who understand will appreciate this consideration, so I will give a rating taking this into account. It is perfect for Instagram-worthy photos.

A super popular shop with almost an hour wait even on weekdays. It has been selected as one of the top 100 sweets shops. The artistic shaved ice is not only visually appealing but also delicious. It's a must-try masterpiece. Before 3 PM on a weekday, there were 5 groups waiting outside. When I checked in using the touch panel, it said there was a 43-minute wait, but there were only 3-4 people in front of me. I decided to wait as long as the seats were not too far apart, and I was able to enter in just a few minutes. It's better to go in small groups as they have tables for 2. [What I had] Ryo - ¥1760 Without whiskey - ¥100 The sweetness was quite mild, and you could really taste the acidity. It wasn't exactly to my liking, but it was still delicious. However, it was quite difficult to eat (laughs). The jelly in the middle collapsed tragically, and there was nothing I could do... I wonder how I should have eaten it (^_^;) I tried my best, but most of it turned into water before I knew it. What a waste. I couldn't eat the traditional Japanese sweet that came as a side dish either. It fell apart when I tried to pick it up with a toothpick. It was quite challenging in many ways (^_^;) I was pondering what to do with the completely watered-down shaved ice when they said, "I'll take your plate when you're done." It seems they prefer customers to finish quickly and leave when it's busy. I'm sorry, but honestly, it was a relief. Some shaved ice can be ordered in smaller portions, so if you're not confident, it's better to go for that option. I'm glad I got to try it once! Thank you for the meal.

I purchased "Take Mizuyokan." It is water yokan poured into a bamboo tube. It has a refined sweetness. The lid is made of bamboo, giving off a cool scent. It feels like Kyoto's summer. There is an instruction manual on how to eat it. A tool to open the tube was included. It tastes delicious when chilled in the refrigerator.

It was so hot that just lightly pedaling my bicycle made me sweat and feel dizzy... So, I decided to take a break at this shop I had been eyeing and ordered a "shaved ice." The shop has a traditional Japanese sweets store on the first floor and a dessert shop on the second floor. I received a ticket right after entering the shop and waited for about 30 minutes before being guided to the second floor. The shop was crowded with customers ordering shaved ice, and I chose the "Saiun" which allows you to design your own shaved ice with 5 different syrups. The syrups for the day were blue apple, orange, strawberry, kiwi, and chilled honey. As I enjoyed the shaved ice, cut fruits like kiwi, apple, blueberry, and grapefruit appeared in the middle. They also served warm roasted green tea to reset your chilled mouth, and the chewy "shiratama" was a nice touch. The roasted chestnut served as a complimentary snack is a popular traditional sweet sold on the first floor. The whole chestnut and the chestnut paste around it were gently sweet and comforting. The little gestures and the Kyoto-like atmosphere made the time spent there very pleasant.

On the way to Kyoto Imperial Palace, I visited "Nijo Wakasaya" shop. Although I was tempted by the shaved ice, they only sold souvenirs. I decided to purchase the "Kyoto Colors" (¥810) which came in a cute box filled with seasonal dried sweets. Currently, there are sugar candies shaped like fish and hydrangea, which look refreshing. I bought two for my friends and one for myself. At the checkout, I received a complimentary "Furosen" sweet drink. It was a delightful surprise. When I opened the box at home, the cute sweets brought me comfort. It's nice to have souvenirs that you can enjoy even after returning home. I would like to purchase more at a different time. *Paid with a card*

Kyoto City Hall Mae Station is about a 5-minute walk away. The street where the shop is located has a Kyoto-like atmosphere, with historic and charming eateries lining the area, making it a calming place to stroll. The shop has take-out sales on the first floor and an eat-in space on the second floor. I ordered the seasonal Japanese sweets and tea set for 1320 yen. Unfortunately, the sweets I chose were just sweet without any creativity. The attempt to wrap the bean paste in a skin seemed like a failure. The shop has a fairly spacious area, making it a good place to take a break. I might try something different next time.

I bought roasted chestnuts and chestnuts wrapped in sweet bean paste. The roasted chestnuts are whole chestnuts wrapped in chestnut paste and then baked. The chestnuts have a strong flavor and a subtle sweetness, very much like chestnuts. The chestnuts wrapped in sweet bean paste with chestnut paste and agar jelly were also delicious. They had a strong chestnut flavor that stood out. It was a great gift and my family loved it.

I killed time before dinner by looking for a place nearby and ended up in a regular tea house instead of Ippodo Tea Co. The Uji Kiyomizu tea was quite sweet, it seemed to have something sweet in it. I tried the Arashiyama sweet bean paste snack, which was just okay. The chestnut sweet that came as a complimentary dish was much more delicious, so I'll use that as my rating criteria haha.

Kansai excursion. Shaved ice in Kyoto. While taking a walk, I saw a shaved ice sign. It was a little chilly in the morning, but by midday, the sun was shining and the weather was just right. I was walking and starting to sweat a bit, so I thought it would be nice to take a break with some shaved ice, and I entered the shop. It was a beautiful shop. When I told them I wanted to eat in, I was guided to the second floor. I climbed the spiral staircase and found a space with table seats. We were seated at a table and looked at the menu. Wow, there are various types of shaved ice here. I ordered the "Chestnut Shaved Ice" for myself and the "Uji Kanmitsu" for my companion. After ordering, we were served tea and a snack called "Yaki Kuri". This snack was a pleasant surprise. I thought it was chestnut before I even tasted it, and it was wrapped in a chestnut sweet jelly. With the tea and this snack, it was quite a satisfying break (laughs). After about 15 minutes, the shaved ice arrived. It was a pretty big serving. This must have taken some time to prepare. - Chestnut Shaved Ice: Chestnut paste with simmered chestnuts on top. The ice was fluffy. It doesn't seem to be a high-end brand, but it was delicious. The sweetness was elegant. There were also candied chestnuts inside. There was also a hint of sweetness like condensed milk in the middle at the bottom. It's nice how the taste changes depending on where you scoop from because it's so big. - Uji Kanmitsu: Shaved ice with rich matcha flavor. The sweet red bean paste was delicious with just the right sweetness. Mochi, rice crackers, and condensed milk were served separately. It's nice that the rice crackers were served separately. You can enjoy a crunchy texture change towards the end. Thank you for the meal!