On the way back from the gym, I entered a shop, drawn in by the sign made of ice. It was somewhat crowded, probably because it was lunchtime. Since I planned to have lunch at home later, I decided to order something cold for the time being, along with a shaved ice dessert. I hesitated between splurging on the Uji Kintoki (shaved ice with green tea and sweet red beans) or going for Strawberry. When I checked my purse just to be sure, I found only a coin purse inside, and to make matters worse, I had just enough money to order the Strawberry. Well, what a nerve-wracking and sweat-inducing moment amidst this heat!
By the way, I heard that Japanese shaved ice is immensely popular among foreign visitors. While shaved ice exists in other countries as well, apparently, Japanese shaved ice is in a league of its own. It’s not as hard as the shaved ice found in other countries; instead, it’s fluffy and the flavors are significantly more delicious. Among them, the Uji Matcha and Kintoki combination evokes a distinct matcha flavor along with the sweetness of red bean, and it seems to be a huge hit.
Hmm, but I must say the strawberry flavor was delicious too!

ジムからの帰り道、氷の幟に吸い込まれる様に入った店。お昼時もあってか、そこそこの賑わっています。お昼ご飯は帰ってから家でと言うことで、取り敢えず冷たいものと、かき氷を注文することにしました。奮発して宇治金時にしようか、いちごにしようか、念の為ポシェットを見たら、小銭入れしか入っていません。しかも、ぎりぎりいちごを注文できるだけのお金があるだけです。いやはや、暑さも吹っ飛ぶ、冷や汗もの。ところで、来日外国人の間で日本のかき氷が大人気だとか。外国にもかき氷はあるそうですが、日本のかき氷は格別だそうです。日本のかき氷は、外国のかき氷の様に固くなく、フワフワで、味は日本のかき氷が格段に美味しいそうです。中でも宇治抹茶金時は、抹茶独特の風味とあんこが日本の味を感じさせ、大人気だそうです。
うーむ、でもいちごも美味しかったですよ。