Babahera Ice Cream: Where to Eat, Prices & Hours (Akita)

Baba refers to the middle-aged or older woman who sells it, and hera means the metal spatula used to serve it. The name comes from roadside vendors serving ice cream onto a cone with a spatula. Yellow banana flavor and pink strawberry flavor are layered in turn, and skilled vendors shape it like a rose. It is a local ice cream that colors early summer in Akita.

Highlights

Above all, the skill with the spatula is a marvel. Watching each petal built up so nimbly while the colors alternate is delightful and often stops passersby in their tracks. The interplay of banana and strawberry is beautiful, and its light, icy texture is perfect on a hot day. Some master vendors are known for a decorative rose arrangement called bara-mori.

Enjoying the Seasons

Roadside sales run in the snow-free months, roughly spring into autumn, and are seen most often in summer. A cone savored under blue skies is exceptionally refreshing. In the season when beaches and event grounds are lively, it is a beloved food-stall staple.

Practical Travel Notes

Look for the beach parasol set up beside the road, under which the vendor serves the ice cream from a stainless steel cooler can. Lately it appears not only in roadside stalls but also at roadside stations, highway service areas, and supermarket parking lots, making it easier to find. Vendors are concentrated around the Hachirogata area, and it is seen throughout the prefecture including around Akita City. A single cone costs roughly the price of small change. It does not travel well, so it is best enjoyed on the spot.

A Quick Tip

It melts fast, so eat it right after it is served. Do not forget a photo before the rose shape softens.

Souvenir and Takeaway Tips

Babahera ice cream is famous for being sold from roadside stalls under parasols, and the real treat is having it shaped with a spatula right in front of you. It is not suited to taking home, but cup-packed and sherbet-style products are available at some souvenir shops and by mail order. Enjoying one on the roadside during your trip is the way it was meant to be savored.

Practical Information for Your Visit

• Where you can find it almost year-round: At the outdoor stand at the Akita Port Port Tower Selion roadside station (1-9-1 Tsuchizakiminato Nishi, Akita City / 018-857-3381), Shindo Reika sells "Babahera Soft." It is open 9:00-17:00, closed on Thursdays, and shuts down from November to March.
• Access: About 25 minutes and 550 yen on the "Selion Line" from Platform 4 of the bus terminal in front of Akita Station. There is parking for about 250 cars.
• Points to note: According to the official labeling of Kodama Reika (Oga City, founded in 1948), the allergen in the ice cream is "milk" (the flavoring is egg-derived), and the cone contains "wheat."
• Taking some home: Kodama Reika's mail-order "trial set" contains 1 tub of ice cream, 5 cones and a spatula for 2,160 yen (including tax; shipping and refrigerated delivery charges extra).

* Opening hours and prices vary from shop to shop. Street vendors change their selling locations from day to day.

(Sources: Akita Port Selion roadside station official website "Tenant Information" and "Access", Kodama Reika official website)

Information Sources

This article is compiled from tourism information for Akita Prefecture and various other sources. Selling locations and prices are subject to change, so please check the information from each vendor or supplier for details.

Sightseeing Checklist

• Budget guide: Affordable at around a few hundred yen each
• Where to eat it: Under the parasols along national highways, at tourist spots and at event venues from spring to autumn
• Best time of day: During the day in the warmer seasons; summer is the peak
• Avoiding the crowds: As it is sold from street stands, waiting times are short. Selling locations change from day to day
• Combine it with: A break during a drive around Akita or between festivals and events