If you're a sucker for interesting ice cream flavors, you will want to stop into this Higashi Chaya sweet shop for a lick. Miso, soy sauce, black sesame, kabocha pumpkin, yuzu, tofu - they’re all here in ice cream form, along with kagabocha, a smoky roasted tea popular in the Kaga region.

You can have your scoop nestled in a waffle cone (plain or chocolate) or you can try something really special: a scoop of ice cream smooshed between two squishy bamboo charcoal pancakes, topped with a floppy square of mochi and a generous smear of adzuki bean paste. Grab one of these uber-Japanese ice-cream creations to take out, or head upstairs for tatami, tea and a variety of more sophisticated desserts.

by Rachel Krampfner