I am deeply fascinated by how many thousands of sweets there are.
Yet, it is not possible to eat all of these sweets every time.
Seasonal sweets.
Sweets that can only be eaten during a certain season.
A legend in the world of kakigori
is the strawberry milk kintoki shiratama from Amaikko in Nishi-Ogikubo.
The homemade syrup is made from strawberries without cooking them.
It is a true bliss of a cool dessert.
It looks as if
tomorrow will be another hot day.
KAKIGORI
Good morning.
This heat is unbearable!
Yamaji, you're drenched in sweat!
What?
It's supposed to be 37 degrees in Tokyo today.
Seriously?
Give me a break!
We get to sit in a nice, cold office when we work.
You poor salesmen walking around outside have it tough.
Even though it's this hot,
there is one guy who still looks very cool.
Kantaro.
-Are you going to your sales visit now? -Yes.
I will be in the area near Nishi-Ogikubo.
"In the area near Nishi-Ogikubo"?
Yes.
It must be tough since it's so hot.
Oh, right!
I bought us some ice cream from the convenience store nearby.
Would you like one before you do your visits?
Thank you.
However, It's enough that you offered it to me.
What?
Why?
During today's sales visits...
I want to remain on fire for my work.
I should go now.
Kantaro is so cool!
Why the heck is he wearing his jacket when it's so damn hot?
That's his policy!
Sir...
When Ichiro steps into the batter's box,
he repeats the same routine every time
to prepare himself for his at bat.
It's the same as that!
By going out for his visits
in the same suit,
he's preparing himself for his work!
Even in this sweltering heat!
Strictly following your own policy is the secret to being a successful man!
Follow his example, Yamaji!
You're one to talk.
Churchill once said,
"Now we are passing through difficult times.
and it will probably be worse
before it gets better.
However, if we persevere and endure, I have no doubt that in due time
we'll prevail to a better world,
I have no doubt whatever."
However...
it's hot right now!
It's incredibly hot!
Yet, today,
I am probably
the only person who is wearing...
thermal underwear beneath my shirt.
For the sweets I will consume today,
I am willing to torture my own body.
I am a perverted masochist for sweets!
This is my policy for making kakigori as enjoyable as possible.
If I want
to make kakigori taste even better...
Then...
I must work really hard!
So, I worked more vigorously than usual at my job.
I am Kantaro Ametani
from the Kiccho Publishing Sales and Marketing Department.
It's nice to meet you.
I am Kantaro Ametani
from the Kiccho Publishing Sales and Marketing Department.
It's nice to meet you.
I am Kantaro Ametani
from the Kiccho Publishing Sales and Marketing Department.
It's nice to meet you.
Yes! I have done it!
I have completed my sales visits in Nishi-Ogikubo on a sweltering hot day.
I doubt I will ever have the opportunity to eat kakigori in this condition again.
What is this?
Everyone must be
thinking the same thing!
I have one hour left.
Considering this line, I will never make it.
I should have known all the famous kakigori shops
are like this at this time of the year.
Thank goodness!
Pardon me.
I figured this might happen,
so it's a good thing I reserved a spot for myself at the other shop.
I did it this morning before visiting the bookstores in Nishi-Ogikubo.
Just in case I'm unable to have the kakigori at Amaikko,
I visited a shop at the next station, Kichijoji,
before I did my sales visits in Nishi-Ogikubo.
The shop I visited
was something I have been keeping an eye on for a while, Kooriya Peace.
You may not believe this, but if you drop by the shop after ten in the morning,
you can reserve a time for when you want to come and eat.
Kantaro Ametani
Amaikko and Kooriya Peace.
It would have been perfect if I could have visited both.
However, considering my situation,
I couldn't possibly be any happier.
Okay!
I will run with all my strength!
Heat stroke?
Don't worry!
I have been burning up all year long for sweets!
Just a station away from Nishi-Ogikubo, but the scenery is quite different.
Kichijoji.
Even if it's fashionable, it's still down-to-earth.
Both the modern and nostalgic exist side-by-side.
There is a good reason why it's the area that most people want to live in Tokyo.
And...
I made it...
Kooriya Peace.
Kooriya Peace
Welcome.
My name is Ametani. I have a reservation for 3:00 p.m.
Please, have a seat over here.
KOORIYA PEACE
Opened in July 2015,
this shop is unusual even in Tokyo since it's a kakigori specialty shop.
There are many shops that serve other sweets and food besides kakigori,
but shops like this that only have kakigori on the menu
are few and far between.
What's more, since you can enjoy a kakigori here all year round,
it is clear that they have...
A love for ice that's greater than anything.
Are you ready to order?
Oh, let me see...
Premium melon sherbet.
Strawberry milk.
Citrus cheesecake.
Salted caramel.
Oh, my!
Their entire lineup is full of unconventional flavors!
Have you made up your mind?
Relax, Kantaro.
Right! When I can't make up my mind...
Excuse me.
What do you recommend?
Let me see.
They're all delicious,
but at this time of year, melon is the best!
That's right!
When you think of summer, you think of kakigori.
When you think of kakigori, you think of melon kakigori.
It ranks right alongside strawberry kakigori.
Its emerald-green charm is irresistible.
I must choose...
Then,
I will have a premium melon sherbet.
Certainly.
I wonder what it will look like.
I'm really looking forward to this!
She's so gentle as she touches the ice.
It's hard to tell
if she is even touching the ice.
It is truly a "feather touch"!
If she presses too hard, the ice will harden.
She must be particularly careful
that she does not cause the ice to freeze again.
I have heard that the amount of air trapped between the ice
determines how fluffy and soft the ice is.
That touch must be the secret behind its delicious flavor.
Gradually frozen over 72 hours at the ice factory,
the pure, premium quality ice is free of impurities.
It's just like virgin snow!
What's that?
On top of the fluffy shaved ice
is a dollop of equally fluffy whipped cream.
I get it!
That must be the salted caramel.
Here is your salt caramel with whipped cream.
Thank you!
You're welcome.
This is fantastic!
The salted caramel looks too good for me to pass up.
Excuse me, miss.
I'm terribly sorry.
Yes?
Could I also have a salted caramel with whipped cream?
Certainly.
Is it all right to order two kinds of kakigori?
Of course.
We get a lot of customers who are like that.
I didn't know that!
I could have ordered two right away.
Now then, it's time to focus on my melon kakigori.
What really makes Kooriya Peace such a special place
is their insistence on making everything by hand.
The sauces on top of the shaved ice are all handmade.
The condensed milk is all handmade.
I wonder what their handmade melon-flavored syrup is like.
What?
It's not just melon-flavored,
it's an actual melon!
Hold on here! That is unmistakably a premium-class,
perfectly ripe, ready-to-eat melon!
She's tossed it right into a blender!
This is crazy!
Are you telling me that this is what their melon syrup is made of?
Hold on a second!
What the heck is she doing to that premium-class melon?
She's scooping out several tiny balls of melon.
What is she about to do with them?
Now the gentle and light,
feather-touch ice dance begins.
On closer inspection,
the ice shavings are slightly different than they were for that salted caramel.
That's it!
The thickness of the ice shavings is different depending on the dish!
Come to think of it, there are more toppings
on the fresh melon than on the salted caramel.
The whipped cream on the salted caramel
is approximately 30 grams,
whereas on the fresh melon there are approximately 55 grams of sherbet
and 40 grams of melon scoops,
for a total of nearly 100 grams.
That must be why the ice shavings are larger than those in the salted caramel.
On top of the hill of ice that resembles a pure white virgin snow
they poured the extravagant sauce that's made from an Andes melon.
Then melon sherbet and fresh melon are heaped on top,
creating a sumptuously luxurious charming shape and some brilliance.
Your premium melon sherbet is ready.
This is the kakigori of the 21st century.
Kooriya Peace's premium melon sherbet has achieved a level of kakigori
that we would never have reached, if we were captured
by the 20th century concept of the kakigori of our youth.
Not only does its aesthetic make the modern art pale in comparison,
it looks cute and elegant.
It's time to begin.
At last.
Into the paradise of sweets!
The first mouthful has plunged me below freezing!
Then comes the punch from
the melon's rich sweetness.
The 100 percent genuine and pure melon
along with the incredibly airy shaved ice
makes for a true cool blast!
But there's something strange here.
Usually when I dig into a kakigori like this,
I get brain freeze.
However, this kakigori hasn't given me one at all.
But why?
That ice on the other side of the counter!
That's it!
Just before shaving the ice,
they place it there on purpose
to adjust the temperature.
Ice that's just removed from the freezer is pure white and negative 18 degrees.
By warming it to between negative one and five degrees before shaving
gives it a gentle, mild feeling in the mouth.
That's why I didn't get brain freeze!
There's something in the ice.
This is...
Unbelievable! It's melon gelatin!
Melon sauce.
Melon decorations. Melon sherbet,
and now surprise melon gelatin!
Such a wonderful sub-freezing melon patch!
Today...
is my very own commemorative melon day!
Where am I?
I'm in a park where the snow is falling like kakigori.
I suddenly realize
that I have become a melon.
Who is that?
Who are you?
I am
Princess Melon.
Prince...
Melon.
Princess Melon,
my heart
melts for you.
I'm ready to take your photo.
Say, "cheese."
Smile a little more for the camera.
Yes, that's better.
Say, "cheese."
Have some fun for this next one.
Peace!
Say,
"Kooriya Peace."
After all my perseverance and enduring,
an incredibly wonderful experience has awaited me,
Churchill.
Peace!
That was quite a cool experience.
My body was sweltering hot, but now it's incredibly cool.
It's about time to go.
Here you are, sir.
Your salted caramel with whipped cream.
What?
Oh, that's right! I forgot!
Oh, no! Look at the time!
I will have to rush through this.
Awesome!
The flavor of Kooriya Peace's
premium melon sherbet
is truly premium.
The salted caramel with whipped cream
is truly exceptional
when it comes to fluffiness.
Post.
I have returned.
-Welcome back. -Hey!
You must be tired because of the heat, Kantaro.
Do you feel all right?
Thank you.
I am feeling fine.
The boss told me
why you wear a suit on such a hot day.
It's your policy for keeping yourself in the perfect condition for sales!
All of you, learn from this man!
That was close.
I thought they had found out my policy for enjoying sweets.
Why is that woman staring at me?
That's odd.
I wonder if there's a connection.
Just before Kantaro Ametani returns, this blog gets updated.
Could the author, Sweets Knight...
be him?
BASED ON THE COMIC BOOK KANTARO: THE SWEET TOOTH SALARYMAN
THIS STORY IS A WORK OF FICTION BASED ON ACTUAL PLACES AND SWEETS.
Subtitle translation by Brian Athey