I have had the pleasure of traveling to Tokyo 3 times in the past 2 years and with that came a lot of eating in a short amount of time period, especially trying to indulge in all the delicious ice cream they have there! For this post and for all my Instagram friends out there, I will be sharing my top ice cream places in Tokyo that I would recommend that are not only picture worthy but actually really tasty and are some of the best I've ever had!
I'm a fan of is anything that has Hokkaido Milk in it, and when it is in ice cream form, it is even better! Whether it is in a soft serve or 'softcream' form, I love it all. The majority of my ice cream contains Hokkaido Milk, but there are a couple favorites that aren't.
Cremia
Cremia is a premium softcream that can be found in Japan. I was lucky to be walking distance from one in Shinjuku. According to their site, they use high quality fresh cream from Hokkaido with high milk fat content. That's what gives it its rich flavor. It is extremely fresh. The visually appealing part of this soft serve is the wavy shape of the ice cream itself, reminiscent of silk to show off that smooth taste. Not only that, but they also use Langue de chat (a type of cookie) for their cone instead of your typical cake/wafer cone! It truly brings out the flavor of the ice cream and pairs so well. This would have to be my top 1 or 2 ice creams for sure! Cost: 500 Yen
Learn more: https://www.nissei-com.co.jp/cremia/en/
Milk Craft Cream
This one has been on my list for awhile, mainly for the light, fluffy looking swirl I've seen from the interwebs. It took awhile to find it underneath Shinjuku station but I finally found it! Plus it was right next to my favorite cheese tarte place too! I went for the plain Hokkaido Milk Soft Serve in the cake cone and my taste buds were instantly happy! Let's just say, It was so good, I had to order a second one right after I finished the first since it was my last opportunity to eat it. The texture is light and if ice cream could be fluffy, this was fluffy. It wasn't as rich or dense as Cremia's but still flavorful. And it's so pretty! Like a swirled cloud of goodness. They have other options too like parfaits and such but I went with the classic cone. They also have shops across Japan too so if you missed it in Tokyo, you may find it somewhere else. Cost: 500 Yen.
Learn more: http://milk-craftcream.com/en.html
ZAKUZAKU
Here's another spot that has been on my list after seeing the long lines around the store my first time in Harajuku. We ended up coming here early so when we stopped by this spot, only one other person was in front of us. I went for their soft serve that included crumbles of their croquant chou. This was another place that uses Hokkaido milk in their products. Yes it is pretty to look at, especially they serve up a generous amount swirled, but it also tastes delicious. It doesn't have as bold as a flavor as Cremia or Milk Craft Cream, but still one to try. If you're not a fan of soft serve, they also serve their signature cream puffs! Cost: 450 Yen
Learn more: https://zakuzaku.co.jp/
Tokyo Milk Cheese Factory
Ever since I tried their cookies purchased from the airport last year, I was obsessed. I became even more obsessed when I found out they had milk and cheese ice cream too! This was another one that took me awhile to find as I was walking through the Shinjuku underground but when I did, I knew I had to try their milk cheese soft serve swirled in a cheddar waffle cone! If you love cheese, this is for you! The cheddar cone definitely has cheddar flavor to it which isn't too much or overpowering. The ice cream also has a nice cheese flavor to it. The texture of the soft serve is nice and thick and definitely a filling one. Cost: 500 Yen (I believe)
Learn more: http://tokyomilkcheese.jp/en/
Kino Chaya
When in Japan, you must try some type of matcha/green tea item and one of my favorites is matcha ice cream. There are quite a few places that do it (special shout out to Suzukien with their potent green tea flavors), but a favorite that I have been to multiple times is Kino Chaya - located right by the Kinokuniya in Shinjuku. The ice cream isn't too sweet and the best part, it has a bold green tea flavor that many versions in the US lack. Plus it isn't bitter, which can be hard to do. It's perfect balanced. They also serve hot matcha drinks and seasonal flavors here as well! Cost: 380 Yen
Learn more: https://www.yelp.com/biz/紀伊茶屋-新宿区
Sakura Soft Serve
The soft serve above can be found in many shops (ice cream comes in a plastic container, and they use a machine to press them out). This was a Sakura (cherry blossom) flavored and had a nice flavor to it. Cherry blossom to me tastes like the shiso/perilla leaf which is more herbal than floral and some places mix it with ume (plum). This was nice since it wasn't overly flavored or to sweet. Plus, the cone was cute!
So there you have it - Instagram worthy soft serve ice cream in Tokyo that not only are pretty in photos, but also delicious to your taste buds. As I write this post, I can't help but miss all the ice cream I had! I had some other ice cream at other times/places, but these ones were my top favorites for sure!
-Kirstie