When you head to Kotoku-in in Kamakura, Kanagawa, one thing you will notice a lot of are soft cream (ice cream) shops.
In fact, the area takes pride in their ice cream that you’ll even see President Obama partaking in soft cream.
And one of my favorite places to visit is Imo Yoshikan in Kamakura (there are a total of three shops in Kamakura and one in Enoshima).
And for one who know what “Imo” is…you’ll know immediately that it’s a sweet potato driven shop and ice cream and sweets are what is primarily sold.
They sell a variety of soft cream, from the standard flavors ala vanilla, but the place is known for their Imo Soft Cream ala Purple Potato Softcream, their Hydrangea Soft Cream (purple potato and green tea) and sweet potato with vanilla. There is also Uji Green Tea Soft Cream, Ramune Soft Cream (which is sold for a limited time) and even Mentaiko. The soft cream is around Y350-Y400.
And they also sell omiyage boxes of sweets made from sweet potatoes, such as the Reef Potato, Purple Potato Baumkuchen, Kamakura Goufret, Sable Sweet Potato and more. And these box sweets go for Y1000. They also sell mochi which goes for around Y330-650.
But for me, I have gone around Japan and have tried various shops selling imo ice cream and I absolutely love it. While most of the time I have eaten a purple ice cream known among the Filipino community as “Ube ice cream”, “Imo” is different as it is grown underground like a potato, “Ube” is grown above ground and is a yam, not a potato.
All I know is that both “Imo” and “Ube” are delicious and it’s like my Kryptonite. It’s so delicious!
But if you are on your way to Kotoku-in in Kamakura, and have a sweet tooth, definitely give Imo Yoshokan a try!
