Cheap vs Luxe Ice Cream in Tokyo & Yokohama – Huge Difference?! 🍨

Cheap vs Luxe Ice Cream in Tokyo & Yokohama – Huge Difference?! 🍨

It is officially Japanese summer right now. And for those of you who don’t know, that means it always feels like we’re standing in a sauna outdoors. And what better way to combat the summer heat than with ice cream. So, I thought it’d be really fun today to try three price tiers of ice cream in and around the Tokyo region because I’m actually starting not in Tokyo today. This beautiful view behind me is the lovely Yokohama, which is just beside Tokyo. And I’m going to be starting with a classic Kini ice cream treat. I’m very impressed with the quality for under 300 yen. And then I’ll be moving up to a mid-tier range of ice cream or gelato. Actually, it definitely tastes like a dessert, but it also kind of reminds you of like a tomato dish. And then finally, I’m going to be ending the evening at a night cafe that serves ice cream, but in a very luxury style at luxury prices as well. Fantastic. It’s a work of art. That’s all I have to say. And the work of art does fall apart. The chocolate just broke in half on the other one. So, let’s start with a comini ice cream treat right over there, actually. Oh, and don’t forget to subscribe for more Japan adventures like this one. Let’s go ice cream. So, the one that I’ve got today is actually a classic in Japan in Japanese summers. It’s called the Choco Monaka Jumbo, and it’s actually was first created in 1972. So, it is 50 years old. So, basically what this is is it’s a Japanese wafer called ammona, which was used in a lot of traditional desserts, and it’s been around since the Edeto period. And traditionally they would have it filled with red bean paste, but this one they decided to fill with vanilla ice cream. And they’ve done something really clever in order to keep the wafer crisp. They’ve actually lined the wafer with chocolate to prevent the Monica from getting soggy. So when you bite into it or when you break into it, it’ll give a nice like crunch. And there’s an automatopia for that, which is putty or putty putty, which is the sound for like when something crispy breaks or snaps in half. So, let’s see if we can replicate that if it hasn’t melted too much. Putty, did you hear that? The wafer was so crispy. It just went It was perfect. M m. That is really good. It is melting a little bit as I mentioned and it’s very hot outside. However, the chocolate is still maintaining its integrity. It’s still got a little bit of that crunch. Imagine like breaking a chocolate bar in half. It goes still got that texture inside. It’s very simple. It might not be a super fancy dessert, but it only costs 184 yen including tax at this moment in time. So, I think it’s super affordable for a wonderfully simple but tasty snack. But, I’m going to try one more ice cream from the convenience store just to see what other variations they have. So, I’m going to go in and get that second one. Obviously, I haven’t bought it yet because I was worried about it melting, but I’ll go show you what the second one is. All right, so the next ice cream that I’m going to try uh from the convenience store is this one. It is a matcha tiramisu ice cream. Japanese convenience stores are very famous for coming out with tons of seasonal flavors. So, you never know what you’re going to find in the convenience store. And this was one that kind of stood out to me today for being really affordable in price, but also like it just looks super good. So, the price of this one is 238 yen including tax, which is slightly more than the Mona ice cream, but still around the 200 yen, less than $2 zone. So, I think that’s a really good price. Actually, I should mention that it even shows what’s inside. They have like a matcha cake layer. They have matcha mascar pony ice cream. And they have some matcha sauce and then matcha powder of course on top. So, let’s see how that all comes together. It actually looks like an ice cream cake, but a fancy ice cream cake. I’m quite impressed in the quality so far appearance-wise in terms of price. M I love the matcha cake at the bottom. And it’s actually quite bitter. The matcha powder is just pure matcha powder. So, it does have some bitter aftertaste at the end. The mascar pony ice cream, it’s creamy. I don’t know if it tastes like that cheesy, but it’s creamy enough to give like mascar pony cheese and tiramisu vibes. Very good. I’m very impressed with the quality for under 300 yen. That’s quite impressive. So, yeah, this is a little tidbit of what you can find at convenience stores in the summer. So, let’s see now what we can find more in the mid-range price tier of ice cream in Japan. So, I actually have a really cool gelato shop that I’m going to check out next with some really unique flavors. So, let’s head over there. It’s also in Yokohama. Let’s go see what we can find there. See you guys over there. Second of today is right here. This is Ipu and it’s a stylish and very chic little wine and gelato bar nestled in Yokohama about a 15-inute walk away from Yokohama Station. And what’s really cool about it is they have artisal flavors of gelato. And they also have a curated list of wines. So you can actually enjoy your gelato with wine. And I think that’s a really cool concept. Let’s go inside and try some creative gelato flavors and some wine. Let’s go. [Music] Hi. [Music] Hi. Hi. Concept. Yeah. [Music] Wine. for evening. Hi tomato. [Music] Oh, she’s so Okay. Well, as she recommended, let’s start with the sparkling wine. Ooh, that is really tasty. It’s actually surprisingly fruity. Very slightly reminds me of a sparkling apple juice. Like a little bit sweet and tart, but not as sweet as a sparkling apple juice. Yeah. But it’s a very unique taste for a sparkling wine, I’d say. Okay. Now that I have this refreshing kind of tart, summery flavor in my mouth, let’s try some of the tomato basil lemon gelato. M. Wo. That is so unique. I’m actually very surprised. I expected it to be good, but it’s really tasty. It’s very refreshing. It tastes very faintly like a tomato juice, but it’s not overpoweringly tomato either because of the lemon hints and then you get these little hints of basil herbal refreshingness at the end. So, I don’t know. It definitely tastes like a dessert, but it also kind of reminds you of like a tomato dish. The wine pairing is very good. I have to say that goes really well together. I think cuz this one is quite like sweet and tart. It really kind of compliments the slightly sour flavors of the lemon and the and the tomato. Nice new flavor combo. cookie. If you know All right, let’s give this a try. This looks so good. It’s got a really thick cookie, actually. Oh. [Music] M. First of all, the cookie, it’s like really thick and crunchy. It’s like a biscuit, but the upper layer is a little bit flaky, like a pastry. But what’s really interesting is the matcha ice cream. You get that matcha flavor with a little hint of bitterness. But what’s really standing out is the sun show pepper. It slightly numbs your tongue and then it makes it taste more citrusy and bright. Everything here was so delicious. And we chose this location as our mid-range option for ice cream/ gelato. But to be honest, everything was actually really, really affordable because one scoop of the tomato lemon basil gelato was only 550 yen. And then the cookie sandwich was 1,100 yen, at least at this moment in time. So I think this is a very accessible location actually for a lot of people to enjoy gelato and wine and Yay. So, anybody can come visit here. So, please definitely check this out. And up next, I’m going be trying a splurge option of ice cream. So, I’m heading to Kagurasaka. We’ll see you guys over there. [Music] All right, I am here at my last location for the night. I am in Kagurasaka. And it really is the evening now. So, I’ve saved the most luxuriously priced ice cream option for last. And it’s actually located on the first floor of this stylish hostel called Unplan Kagurazaka. This is a unique location because they do night parfes. And this is actually a very popular kind of trending culture in Japan that started in Sapuro Hokkaido. But these night parfes usually tend to be particularly fancy. They look like works of art. They’re in fancy glasses and they’re layered with high quality fruits and cream and of course ice cream, which is what we want in the summertime. So, let’s go inside and see what they have this month. Wow, this is so very nice. foreign. design. Hey, Yeah. Look after this. menu. Spice. Fore! Foreign! Foreign! [Music] This is stunning. Honestly, a work of art. I cannot imagine ruining this art, but I think we’re going to have to try it. It looks too good to eat, though. All right, it’s time to eat. Because as beautiful as this is, it does melt quite fast because it’s made of ice cream. So, let’s try our most luxurious version of ice cream in the form of a nighttime parfait. I already feel really fancy. I’m going to start with the melon one. Just disclaimer, it may start falling apart as we’re filming. M. Oh, that is so good. Oh my gosh, the cream. This is a a proper whipped cream. It is really thick and creamy. I think parfait is not just about the flavors and the variety of ingredients, but also about a little bit of change of texture. So, there’s ice cream, there’s usually a little bit of crunch in there, and then there’s a little bit of this raspberry jam. Hot tip, don’t order two parfets at once. It’s crazy. We’re just doing this so you can see the variety, but normally just get one for yourself, or else things are going to melt really fast. There’s a little something new to discover and enjoy in each layer of a fancy parfait like this one. Honestly, it really tastes like summer. You’ve got like summer melon flavors. It’s a little bit like honeydew. Actually, it would be very easy to finish the whole thing because it’s not overpoweringly sweet. Each ingredient is made with love and care and just intention. That’s what I love the most about it. Obviously, I’m not done this yet, but we have to eat this next one before it melts. [Music] Oh my gosh, it is so good. Oh. Oh, I could eat a whole bowl of this. Like, it’s got that tart sour berry flavor. So tasty. Okay, so I dug as deep as I could go. I lost a cherry on the way up, but we still have the pistachio cream and they have a milk ice cream. Let’s see how it tastes. Here we go. [Music] M. I love everything about all of the flavors. I love the texture of that style biscuit. It’s got this spicy gingery flavor, kind of like a gingerbread, but the addition of like the pistachio, the cherry sauce, all of that kind of adds a little bit of a refreshing, summery vibe to it. Fantastic. It’s a work of art. That’s all I have to say. And the work of art does fall apart. The chocolate just broke in half on the other one. Do try some of these and maybe you could come here with a friend on a date. I think it would be really nice. You could each get one. You could try a little bit of each other’s and then you can share and see how the tastes differ. I think that would be a really really fun way to end the night. So yeah, speaking of which, I think this is where I end the night tonight. This is so good. Everything was really unique in its own way and obviously the parfets were high quality. Like it comes with the price. However, EPU in Yokohama is not to be overshadowed. It is very stylish and very creative. They had really lovely artisal unique flavors of gelato. And despite the price differences, both are cafes that I would revisit again and that I would definitely recommend. However, we must not forget the Humble Convenience Store, which albeit uh qualitywise is leagues below the other two locations we went to today. But they always come up with something new every season. So, every time I go to the convenience store, there’s something new to find and enjoy. Let me know in the comments down below which dessert you think you would be most likely to try. And that’s the end of today’s video. So, make sure to give us a like if you enjoyed this kind of video. Let me know if there’s anything else you guys want to see along this vein comparing different things. Did you like this? And uh if you do like these videos, make sure to hit subscribe so you don’t miss out on future videos. And we’ll see you guys very soon in another one. Bye. Oasami. Good night. If you enjoyed this video, click the photos on the left for more and click the one on the right to learn more about buy food and book your own Japan adventures.

*Greetings from sunny Japan!* This summer, Shizuka is on a mission to try a different range AND style of ice creams from the convenience store, artisan, to luxury – what could be the difference between them all besides the price?

The mission starts by tasting the OG konbini ice cream with two exceptional spots follow after; an artisanal gelato slash wine bar serving unique flavors like *Tomato Lemon Basil* (you read it right!) tucked right after the busy Yokohama station and a parfait cafe in Tokyo serving too-gorgeous-to-eat ice cream crafted in front of your eyes by the chef. All covered here for you to beat the heat of the Japan summer!

Thank you for tuning in and big thanks to èpiù and Koyoi No Parfait for having us!

*Let us know in the comments:* Which one would you try first? 🍦

*Locations*
èpiù
〒220-0072 Kanagawa, Yokohama, Nishi Ward, Sengencho, 1 Chome-4-9

Koyoi No Parfait
〒162-0808 Tokyo, Shinjuku City, Tenjincho, 23-1

*Do you know that there are 35 unique ice cream flavors you can try in Japan?* Check out this byFood blog post: http://bit.ly/40Kh2Y9

*About byFood*
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