Tokyo’s Asakusa district is an unspoiled relic of old Edo. Its ancient, narrow streets are crammed with century old stores and restaurants still vending their antique crafts. The theatres and bars that drew crowds to this still hubbubing entertainment district are alive and well with cries of revelry. Senso-ji, Tokyo’s oldest temple, remains a point of pilgrimage for residents of, and visitors to, the capital seeking to experience the serenity of its inner sanctums and the scrambling of its market approach. This is where to come if you’re seeking the old worlde charm of Japan.

It is also the place to come for those seeking other worlde charm, as hidden within the labyrinth of old shops is a portal to a magical land. A magical land of ice cream and unicorns, and ice cream unicorns.

Tsuno Koi: The unicorn soft serve kingdom

Tsuno Koi, ツノ恋, is an ice cream store in Asakusa that specializes in decoratable soft serve, delivered in freshly baked unicorn shaped financier cones. Barely able to believe that such a land of edible unicorns and delicious ice cream could exist in Tokyo, we paid the store a visit to experience it’s legendary delights. Check out the story of our experience with photos below.

Located 5 minutes from Asakusa station, the store, which opened in 2019, is a modern, glass building that is flooded with natural light, perfect for taking instagramable photos of the sweets.

A unicorn soft serve costs ¥750, with a generous helping of ice cream and a unicorn shaped financier cone included in the price. The unicorn cones are made from financier cake batter and baked freshly in store each day using molds. True to form they taste just magical; each bite a heavenly mouthful of crisp, chewy, buttery joy.

A plain ice cream cone alone is adorable enough to melt the heart of any unicorn fan like the veritable product itself. For an additional fee however, customers can add decorations to their unicorn cone and make their adorable magical cream pony look even cuter. Add ons cost between ¥80 - ¥150 and include edible items like flowers, leaves and stars, as well as non edible items like paper parasols and more.

Once you have finished gilding your pony, you’ll want to whisk it up to the second floor which has been kitted out with floral displays, wall mounted parasols and a giant paper machine unicorn, all to serve as a backdrop for a photo of your ice cream.

Our own creations turned out to be more beautiful on the inside (of our stomachs) types.. But as you can see from the instagram posts in this article, Tsuno Koi is a great place to visit and have fun designing your very own edible unicorn. Head on down to their store in Asakusa before summer ends this month!

Tsuno Koi Store Info

• Address: 111-0032 Tokyo, Taito City, Asakusa, 1 Chome−14−7
• Opening times: 11am - 6pm daily (closed on Wednesdays)
• Website: 38cogp.com/tsunokoi