Kakigori

Before bedtime last night, we learned from the news that there would be 2 to 3 more weeks of the rainy season in Tokyo. Rain fronts move across Japan so different regions of the country experience the rainy season a few weeks earlier or later than others. According to the same news report, Kyuushu in southern Japan has finished its rainy season. It's a good thing, too. They've had flooding in the past few days.

We woke to a bright sunny day today. It lasted all day. Not much humidity and a nice breeze made for a nice day. We dragged out our snow cone or kakigori machine and made snow cones. The goofy looking character is a sweet robot named Doraemon. He sometimes wears a propeller on his head and flies around with his human friend, Nobita. He also has magic gadgets and all kinds of adventures. Here, he is holding a fan. The kanji printed on the fan means "ice".


Wherever you see this sign, you are sure to be able to buy kakigori or maybe even the machines like in the picture below. Yikes! I just noticed that the sign is reversed. I was on the wrong side when I took the picture. Compare the picture of this sign and the one below. Same sign, different sides. The one below is correct.



Here is a display of machines at a department store. I saw an electric machine recently. Most are operated manually by cranking.

Kakigori is a true summertime treat. The syrup is sold by the bottle, but recently bags of different flavors in little plastic cups are available (see the top picture). Melon, strawberry, lemon and blueberry are the usual flavors. Green tea or matcha can also be found.