Planning our Shizuoka trip, we couldn’t skip the place green tea lovers call a pilgrimage site: Nanaya Shizuoka, home of the world’s strongest matcha gelato. Here’s our honest review with menu tips and our child’s reactions.
1. Nanaya Shizuoka: Real Matcha in the City of Green Tea
Arriving in Shizuoka, we felt a calm air throughout the city. True to its reputation as Japan’s green tea capital, cafés and shops lined the streets.
But a traveler’s time is limited. We wanted something truly memorable, not ordinary tourist ice cream. I wanted our child to taste real green tea, and I was craving a bittersweet bite to wash away travel fatigue.
After reading countless reviews and asking locals, every arrow pointed to Nanaya Shizuoka.
2. Levels 1 to 7: Which One Will You Choose?
The first thing that catches your eye inside is the green gradient in the display case. Like a row of paint chips, it runs from pale lime to almost-black deep green.
The biggest feature of Nanaya Shizuoka is that you can choose matcha strength from level 1 to 7. Here’s how each level tastes.
Levels 1–2: the soft, sweet green tea flavor you find anywhere, perfect for beginners. Levels 3–4: Nanaya’s standard, with a great balance of bitterness and sweetness and the most popular choice. Levels 5–6: this is where you think, “Whoa, that’s strong,” and matcha fans’ hearts start racing. Level 7 (premium): the world’s strongest matcha gelato, reportedly with seven times more matcha powder than regular gelato; even the color is overwhelming.
Level 7 Price Tip
Levels 1 through 6 cost the same, while level 7 is a premium line and costs a bit more. Having come this far, level 7 is worth trying.
3. Taste Test: Level 7 vs Level 5
First, the intensely rich level 7.
The first bite hits the tip of your tongue with powerful bitterness. There’s almost no sweetness, and it feels as heavy as eating freshly stone-ground tea leaves. Surprisingly, it isn’t grassy or astringent and finishes clean. A refined grown-up flavor; we only had a taste of level 7.
Next, level 5 and green tea.
Level 7 was too strong for the kids. After one bite our child grimaced and shouted, “Ugh, bitter!”
So we chose level 5. Level 3 is the matcha flavor most people know, but we wanted a little more bitterness.
We also had green tea at Nanaya, and sipping it while looking out the window was superb.
4. Souvenir Shopping You Shouldn’t Miss
After the gelato, your eyes naturally drift to the souvenir corner, full of items that take the trip home with you.
Level 7 matcha chocolate: chocolate sticks packaged by strength just like the gelato; the packaging is so pretty I grabbed a few as gifts.
Tea bags and powder: for a taste of Nanaya at home, try the matcha latte powder; mixing it with milk brought back the trip. Tea ware: lovely cups and whisks for tea lovers.
One shopping tip.
It’s hard to decide where to buy gifts in Shizuoka, but Nanaya’s chocolate sets are reasonably priced and capture Shizuoka best, and they were a big hit.
5. What to Know Before You Visit
Here are the key details so you don’t make a wasted trip.
Location: near Aoba Street, easy to drop by while exploring downtown. Hours: usually 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., but it’s often closed on Wednesdays, so check ahead. Waiting: lines get long on weekends and afternoons, but turnover is fast, so you’ll usually order within 10–15 minutes. Seating: there’s almost no seating on the first floor, with an eat-in space upstairs; on nice days, the benches in Aoba Park right outside are charming.
Tasting the color of Shizuoka.
Our time at Nanaya Shizuoka was more than dessert; levels 1 to 7 felt like tasting a whole spectrum of flavors.
From the bitter level 7 that made us grimace to the sweet milk ice cream that made us smile, it all became a precious page of our Shizuoka trip. If you go, have fun finding your own perfect matcha strength.
Prices, hours and details in this post are from our visit in December 2025 and may have changed, so check the latest information before you go.
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Schedules and prices can change, so check the Japan National Tourism Organization before you go.