Godiva Japan gets into the shaved ice scene with two luxurious frozen desserts this summer

Godiva brings its chocolate expertise to a traditional summertime favorite in Japan. Godiva is well aware of the worldwide prestige its name carries, but the chocolatier’s Japanese division still freq

Godiva brings its chocolate expertise to a traditional summertime favorite in Japan.

Godiva is well aware of the worldwide prestige its name carries, but the chocolatier’s Japanese division still frequently looks for ways to get into the spirit of the local sweets scene. Sometimes that means partnerships with anime franchises or Mister Donut, and sometimes it means incorporating traditional Japanese ingredients like tofu into their desserts,

For their next cultural crossover, Godiva Japan is turning its attention to something that’s been a summertime favorite of sweets fans in Japan for generations:** shaved ice**.

Walking around Japan in the summer, you can spot cafes and sweets shops with signs hanging outside their storefronts with the kanji character for ice, 氷, and as of July 22, they’ll be outside select Godiva Japan branches too. But whereas the majority of shaved ice flavors in Japan are fruity, like melon or strawberry, Godiva, naturally, is bringing its premium chocolate to the mix, starting with the Shaved Ice Chocolat Elegance.

Starting at the bottom of the bowl and working our way up, this extra-chocolatey shaved ice dessert has chocolate whipped cream and shaved chocolate, after which the ice shavings start getting piled on, with chocolate syrup poured on top of them. For toppings, Godiva Japan uses a** chocolate whipped cream dusted with chocolate powder, followed by more chocolate sauce and shaved chocolate, then, finally, a Godiva chocolate square** as the figurative cherry on top.

If you’re looking for a little extra sophistication, you can also opt for the Shaved Ice Tiramisu Chocolat. This being Godiva, of course there’s still chocolate on the list of ingredients, but here it’s joined by** mascarpone cream and coffee gelatin**.

According to the company’s announcement, and also visible in the photos, Godiva shaves its ice to a feathery consistency, so there won’t be much crunch or grit as you bite into a spoonful, but instead a soft texture that should allow all of the sweet accouterments to meld in your mouth with the ice. The result, Godiva promises, is richly flavorful but without feeling heavy, and the moist, chilled combination of flavors and sensations will make for an indulgently enjoyable way to cool off in the summer heat.

Not every Godiva Japan branch will be serving their shaved ice, but it can be found at the chain’s locations within the Mitsui Outlet Park shopping centers in Tama Minami Osawa (Tokyo), Kisarazu (Chiba), Iruma (Saitama), Hokuriku Oyabe (Toyama), Jazz Dream Nagashima (Mie), Shiga Ryuo (Shiga), Marine Pia Kobe (Hyogo), and Spporo Kitahiroshima (Hokkaido).

Godiva Japan’s new frozen treats arrive at a time when a number of cafes in Japan are looking to take shaved ice up-market with fancy ingredients, but priced at 980 yen (US$6) they’re still affordable luxuries for when your taste buds want something sweet and your body needs something cool this summer.