Take the elevator to “Kiriko Lounge and Terrace” at Tokyu Plaza Ginza, and an escalator up a floor, to reach the rooftop. At the rooftop, you can rest your weary feet and have a view of Ginza.

Here, there is Sakura No Chaya 櫻ノ茶屋, a small kiosk that serves soft-serve ice cream and fries with Japanese-flavored dips. But it is not necessary for you to buy anything to enjoy the view.

But it is worth buying food from the kiosk because it is interesting; and what we had was delicious. The fries come with 2 types of dips (¥600) or 4 types (¥1,200, 2-3 people). The dips are very interesting:

-bonito soup & mushroom sauce flavor
-teriyaki mayonnaise
-tomato & miso
-wasabi & avocado mayonnaise
-cream cheese & kyoto-styled
-nori (seaweed) & yuzu mayonnaise

Aren’t the dips exciting?! Who mixes seaweed with orange???

Although we didn’t have the fries, we tried the soft-serve. There are two flavors: Japanese milk sundae with matcha (¥700) or Japanese hojicha sundae with black honey (¥700, hojicha is roasted green tea).

It was a dilemma what to order: the first sounds like a classic, the latter is more exciting. In the end, I chose the first because classics never get old. And the sundae is winning. The soft-serve is extremely rich and milky. The condiments are fantastic with just the right sweetness. Mr Fitness, who initially didn’t want anything to eat, was snatching the last bites from me.

They also serve beverages: tea, coffee, juices and soft drinks at ¥400-¥500. But what is interesting is their alcoholic drinks, such as kumquat & tonic (¥600), Sakura fuzzy navel (¥600), azuki & chestnut milk (¥600), and ginger mojito ((¥750). I’m truly curious how they could have made a cocktail out of red beans and chestnut milk.

There are other rooftop cafes in Ginza, such as the costly Chanel, but if you don’t want to spend much or any money, Sakura No Chaya is an excellent option. I was surprised at how much I liked the ice cream.

Written by A. Nathanael Ho.