Japan's melt-in-seconds dessert is a revelation - here's where to find it

I take another bite, half-marvelling, half-panicked. This is fleeting. This is delicate. This is a dessert that refuses to wait.

At Housekibaco in Nara, the shaved ice dessert known as kakigori is treated with reverence.

It feels fitting, then, that the Japanese city is home to Himuro Shrine, where the God of Ice is said to reside; a quiet nod to the city's long-standing appreciation for frozen artistry.

But there's no time to dwell on mythology now. My kakigori is beginning to melt.

Each kakigori bowl is a study in layers, the ice shaved into a mound as big as an ostrich egg, but as light as fresh snowfall. Syrups are poured in delicate ribbons.

I've opted for a fragrant trio of hibiscus, lemongrass and citrus, which seep into the ice like watercolour paints on paper. Then comes the golden peach compote and trembling cubes of jelly, topped with a cloud of yoghurt foam.

By the time I'm halfway through, the ice has softened into a lush, syrup-drenched slush, each spoonful a perfect harmony of fruit, florals and cream.

There are no dull patches, no bland mouthfuls, just pure flavour from start to finish. I switch to the straw, determined not to waste a drop. Around me, kakigori devotees order their second (and even third) bowl, unfazed by the inevitable brain freeze.

Some have come to Nara for this alone, visiting kakigori shops like sacred shrines. As I slurp the last of the syrup, I completely understand the devotion.