Saka-no-ue Cafe

Nestled atop a small hill, this cafe offers a welcome escape from the scorching sun. Our visit at 11:30 am revealed a bustling spot with a waiting list stretching until 1:30 pm. Thankfully, they provided a takeout option, albeit limited to just two menu flavors.

We seized the opportunity and swiftly devoured both selections, despite their substantial portions. The candied nut variety triumphed over the strawberry in our taste buds' contest. However, a minor inconvenience surfaced during our al fresco experience: the lack of cover for our shaved ice. The unforgiving sun caused it to melt rapidly.

Further complicating matters, we were unable to linger outside the cafe, as it neighbors private residences. Thus, takeout customers found themselves on a perpetual stroll, obliged to finish their treats within the vicinity and return waste to the establishment, as public trash bins remained scarce within a 2-kilometer radius.

Pretty damn good kakigori. Flavor in every bite, whipped cream on top of the shortcake one was insanely good. However, it was a but pricey being 1600 yen for the classic and 1800 for specials. Syrup was very good, but at the end there is a lot of milk at the bottom of the bowl, which cannot be prevented. Recommended for foreigners. Make sure you get every layer in each bite for peak experience.

Decent shaved ice shop. Honestly speaking, their -flagship- strawberry shaved ice was a little disappointing.

There were 6 or 7 selections of shaved ice when I visited, and the strawberry flavor was the only one that was non-special. The rest were limited time specials. My partner ordered "Himika" which was with honey, nuts, and yogurt-based sauce/cream. That one was 10x better than the strawberry despite the fact that it was only 200 yen more expensive. It had lots of nuts, usually not the amount that would be used for shaved ice, and punched a lot of flavors when mixed with honey and cream. It blew my mind with the first bite.

What disappointed me the most about the strawberry shaved ice was the amount of the strawberry sauce it had. It only had the top partially covered while no flavor was there inside or the parts that weren't covered. I think they took the aesthetics over the overall taste with this one. To cut to the chase: just order other flavors; you won't regret it.