Choseido

Tamba Dainagon matcha kintoki shaved ice comes with syrup on the side. One visitor says the ice was refreshing and lightly sweet even before the syrup was added, and that the Tamba Dainagon beans, ice cream and monaka each had their own appeal. Serving the syrup separately also lets you adjust the sweetness as you eat. Kinako shaved ice is another option, praised for its combination of roasted soybean flour and kuromitsu. On a hot day, you can choose between two kinds of cool Japanese sweets: matcha kintoki or kinako.

Fresh wagashi can be enjoyed in the shop with matcha or sencha. One diner was struck by the selected sweet’s measured sweetness and how it crumbled delicately in the mouth—a treat to savour slowly with tea. For something to take away, consider Kamokawa, which wraps mildly sweet bean paste in a thin, crisp candy shell.

Some visitors have also enjoyed the seasonal zenzai, noting the pleasantly soft, floury texture of the beans. Near Kyoto Prefectural Botanical Garden, Choseido offers Japanese sweets to suit the moment, from chilled shaved ice to fresh wagashi with tea and warm desserts.