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Drink · Japan
Nihonshu
Japanese sake, a fermented beverage made from rice, koji and water. It is an official geographical indication of Japan and is served chilled, at room temperature, or warm, in small cups.
Flavors · Kagoshima
Shirokuma
Shaved ice topped with condensed milk, colorful fruit, agar jelly cubes and azuki beans. The name, polar bear, comes from how it looks from above. A summer sweet from Kagoshima.
Traditional sweet from Kagoshima, Kagoshima
Also known as: 白熊, しろくま, Shirokuma kakigori
Illustrative images. The pictures in this guide are illustrations based on the real place, not photographs, and may differ from it.
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Shirokuma — Kagoshima, Japan
Shirokuma is a kakigori—shaved ice—generously topped with condensed milk or a milk syrup and decorated with fruit: a cherry, raisin, mandarin, pineapple, plus azuki beans and agar jelly cubes. The fruit are arranged over the bowl so that, seen from above, it resembles the face of a polar bear—shirokuma in Japanese.
According to Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, shirokuma originated at a food stall in Kagoshima that was open in the 1940s and 1950s. At first it was a simple shaved ice with white and red syrup; after trying milk over strawberries, the shop began using condensed milk and adjusted the recipe until it reached a lighter milk syrup. Fruit was added for color, and the pattern that formed gave the dessert its name.
At the time, shirokuma cost considerably more than an ordinary shaved ice and became a coveted treat, a sign of the end of the years of scarcity after the war. According to Kagoshima tourism, it is one of the city’s most famous sweets, and the ice, syrup and fruit vary from place to place.
Shirokuma is Kagoshima’s summer sweet, eaten by children and adults and sought out by visitors. There are variations with chocolate, pudding or mango, and versions served in cups for takeaway.
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Where it comes from
Kagoshima , Kagoshima
A summer sweet that originated in the city of Kagoshima.
Ingredients
Shaved ice, condensed milk or milk syrup, fruit (cherry, raisin, mandarin, pineapple), azuki beans, agar jelly.
How it is eaten
Right after it’s served, eaten with a spoon, before the ice melts.
When it is eaten
Especially in summer; served year-round at many places.
Your questions
Questions about Shirokuma
Why is the dessert called shirokuma?
Shirokuma means polar bear. The fruit and beans are arranged on the white ice so that, seen from above, the bowl resembles a bear’s face.
Where can you eat shirokuma in Kagoshima?
At many confectioneries and cafés in Kagoshima, including in the Tenmonkan neighborhood. Each shop has its own ice, syrup and selection of fruit.
Flavors of Japan
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Okinawa soba
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Saba-zushi
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Beyond the guide
