Ice cream is something you crave in summer. Even when the scorching heat kills your appetite, you can’t help reaching into the freezer, thinking, “Well, I could have ice cream…”
At Boat Race Kojima, an event called the “National Ice Cream Festival 2024” will be held—a real treat on a hot summer day.
More than 100 varieties of local ice cream from across Japan will be on offer.
Local ice creams that are usually hard to find unless you visit the area or a regional products fair will all be gathered here, making this a great chance to enjoy ice creams from all over Japan.
We covered this summer-perfect ice cream festival to find out what kind of event it is.
The information provided was current when this article was published in August 2024. Please note that it may differ from current information.
What is the National Ice Cream Festival 2024?
The National Ice Cream Festival 2024 is a local ice cream event hosted by Boat Race Kojima.
There are more than 100 varieties of local ice cream from Japan’s 47 prefectures and several countries overseas, with a wide range of flavors featuring regional specialties. The ice cream is sold at special prices, so you can enjoy great deals.
For details on the flavors and prices, check the special event website.
The event is held at a special venue set up inside Boat Race Kojima, and you can eat the ice cream you buy right there. Eating it at the venue is generally recommended, but apparently you can also take it home if you bring an insulated bag.
The event dates are as follows. It will be held on Boat Race Kojima race days in August.
- Thursday, August 1–Sunday, August 4, 10:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m. (same hours on the other dates)
- Thursday, August 8–Tuesday, August 13
- Saturday, August 17–Thursday, August 22
The festival brings together classic local ice creams that you’d normally only find at regional product fairs, such as Blue Seal Ice Cream from Okinawa and Shirokuma Ice Cream from Kagoshima. That’s one of the things that makes this festival special. There are also many local ice creams you may be seeing for the first time, so you might have a hard time deciding which ones to try.
Here are a few ice creams that caught my eye.
Local ice cream made with regional specialties
“Sea grape ice cream” from Okinawa is made by mixing sea grapes into milk ice cream. It has a lightly salty flavor called Salty Milk. Since it’s summer, ice cream that helps replenish salt feels appealing. I hear you can enjoy the little popping texture of the sea grapes.
From Shizuoka comes ice cream made with the region’s famous eel. Apparently, it retains the distinctive savory aroma of eel, and it comes with sansho pepper, an essential accompaniment to eel. I can’t imagine what eel and ice cream together would taste like, so I’m curious to try it.
The “pawpaw ice cream,” a specialty of fruit-rich Yamanashi, is also a must-try. Pawpaw is so rare it’s called a “phantom fruit,” and is known for its rich flavor, like a mix of banana and mango. It makes me want to try this phantom-fruit flavor.
There were many other ice creams that caught my eye, but there are too many to list them all, so be sure to check the special event website.
The National Ice Cream Festival brings together more than 100 varieties of ice cream. We spoke with Ono Wakiko of the Kurashiki City Boat Race Office to learn how the event came about.
Interview with the organizer
Why did you plan the ice cream festival?
Ono (surname only)
Boat Race Kojima holds an event every summer to encourage people who aren’t familiar with boat racing to stop by.
Since August is summer vacation, we planned the ice cream festival as an event that families could enjoy together.
Events where ice cream from all over Japan is gathered and sold are rarely held outside department stores, so I think this will be a rare event.
We decided from the start to gather 100 varieties of ice cream, but as we prepared, we kept thinking, “If we’re going to do this, we should include ice cream from that prefecture too,” and the selection of local ice creams grew until we had ice cream from all 47 prefectures. We’ve also prepared several varieties from overseas.
This is a perfect event for a scorching hot day.
Ono
That’s right. I think ice cream is something people can enjoy regardless of their gender or age.
We planned this event because we want people who aren’t familiar with boat racing to come, but we’d also love our regular customers to come to this event.
I hope people who have lost their appetite because of the heat will feel free to enjoy some, too.
Are there any ice creams you’re particularly interested in, Ms. Ono?
Ono
Personally, I’d like to try the Dracula ice cream from Aomori Prefecture. It’s ice cream made with garlic, and I’m really curious about it because it sounds like it could help with fatigue…
Apparently, it was named Dracula after a legend associated with Shingo Village. I thought it was interesting that local ice cream can draw on regional legends as well as local specialties.
Speaking of local specialties, Kochi has a lot of ice creams made with citrus fruits, such as mandarins and yuzu.
Kochi Ice, in particular, is committed to using local ingredients, so it’s one of the ice creams I’d like to try.
All the ice creams look tempting, so it might be a good idea to check out the ones you’re interested in on the special event website before you come.
Could you tell us how you recommend enjoying the event?
Ono
I’d be happy if you came with a group and shared a little of several different flavors to discover what makes local ice cream so good.
I think people of all ages can enjoy it, so it would be fun to come with three generations of your family.
You could also compare ice creams with the same flavor, such as milk, and enjoy the differences from each region.
The event will be held several times, so if you live nearby, it might be fun to try to sample them all. Sampling all 100 varieties would probably be difficult, so I recommend narrowing it down to a region, such as “Chugoku” or “Hokkaido.”
Do you have a message for our readers?
Ono
With more than 100 varieties, I think many of them will be ice creams you’ve never tried before.
There will also be local ice creams that may make people from outside the prefecture think, “That takes me back.”
There will be a truly wide variety of local ice creams, so please come and find your favorite.
From the Writer
The National Ice Cream Festival brings together a colorful variety of local ice creams.
Many are unusual varieties that you can only buy in person at this event, and even during our interview, we got excited talking about which ones we wanted to try.
There are plenty of ice creams made with carefully selected local ingredients, not just unusual flavors, so I think you can also enjoy comparing classic milk and fruit flavors.
Since it’s held at a boat race venue, it might be nice to relax and enjoy ice cream while watching the races.
For one of your summer memories, why not visit Boat Race Kojima with friends or family?
Articles about Boat Race Kojima
National Ice Cream Festival 2024 at Boat Race Kojima: Information
| Name | National Ice Cream Festival 2024 at Boat Race Kojima |
|---|---|
| Dates | Thursday, August 1–Sunday, August 4 Thursday, August 8–Tuesday, August 13 Saturday, August 17–Thursday, August 22 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (same hours on other dates) |
| Location | 6-3 Motohama-cho, Kojima, Kurashiki City |
| Admission (tax included) | Facility admission costs 100 yen |
| Website | National Ice Cream Festival 2024 Special Website |
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