Do

Eat shaved ice on the veranda of an old house

Kakigori is Japanese shaved ice, shaved so finely that it is soft and fluffy, then topped with fruit syrup. In summer you can eat it in an old wooden house, sitting on the engawa, the narrow wooden veranda along the garden side, with the breeze coming through. It is a summer-only treat served on limited days, so check that the house is open before you go.

Hamacho (Former Yoda Shiro Residence)
Matsuzaki, Shizuoka Prefecture

This old house in Matsuzaki, a quiet port town on the west coast of the Izu Peninsula, has namako-kabe walls: black tiles set in a lattice of raised white plaster said to look like namako, sea cucumbers. In summer it serves about eight kinds of kakigori made with fruit grown in the town, such as natsumikan, a tart summer orange, which you can eat by the window or on the veranda. Matsuzaki is a long bus ride from Shimoda or Shuzenji and the cafe opens only on some days, so check with the town before you go.

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