I think the reason people like shave ice so much is like the nostalgia of childhood and coming back to like memories of the past.

Since Hawaiʻi's so hot, it's just like, so refreshing.

My dad would tell me he would serve kids shave ice, and then, over the years, they grow up, they have their own kids, and they bring their kids to get shaved ice.

They always say they was the local people that made the store what it is today.

It tastes just like the same as when I was growing up in the 70s and 80s in Hawai'i.

In Hawai'i, shave ice is a beloved frozen treat.

It's just right for a day under the hot Hawaiian sun.

In this episode, we are going back in time visiting families that have been making shave ice for generations.

I think many of us remember eating our first shave ice much more than tasting other delights like ice cream.

Well, the building was established in 1940 right.

It's gone over a lot of different owners throughout the years.

Our family took it over around 1978 that started with my great grand uncle.

Walter's great grand uncle first established the business as a general store.

Okay, we got the pog with the condensed milk.

Thank you very much!

Later, offering shave ice as an added value.

So process of making shape ice, how we do things is, you know, first we have the our specific mold that we use to freeze the ice, yeah, just kind of place it in, you know, the machine kind of does its job.

And we like to use our hands to kind of shape it, to make that form, pour the syrup.

And then we make our own azuki beans, mochi balls and things.

So that takes that takes time as well.

Coming from a Taiwanese family, Walter has learned to combine different cultures and bring a unique take on a local classic.

Even though, like azuki bean is, you know, part of the Japanese culture, we also have it's called hong dou, just like azuki red bean shave ice.

And so adding that into our shave ice is, you know, kind of a combination of the Japanese culture and also, like, Taiwanese culture as well.

We got li hing, grape, and then inside, we got ice cream, and we got mochi with condensed milk on top.

I think it's a really prominent part of, like, Hawaii's culture, right?

Because, like, we're talking about this, the combination of different cultures and how they build on one another.

You know, with shave ice, there's so many different variations that we draw from other cultures.

And I think, like, that's part of the culture in the history to create these, like, new just different types of shave ices.

I brought in my two friends, and they don't believe you carry the best shave ice on the island.

Sure this place better than mine?

Oh, of course!

Tell them how old your machine is.

This machine is about, it's a 1940 or 1941 model.

It's a pre war and I've used it now for about 17 years.

Secret to getting like, to making good shape ice is practice like, the more you do it, the better you get at it.

Me, I've been doing it for like, 26 years at this point.

I don't think anyone my age has been making shave ice this long.

In a similar fashion.

Shimazu shave ice also began as a general store back then, called B&S store.

I remember, like, back in the day, before we even owned the B&S store before we took it over.

My dad and mom took me there before, so I remember after soccer going there, and eventually we moved in.

And now kids that I seen when they were kids are now adults and have their own kids, and they're still coming here, and they like, we reminisce about stuff like when they were kids coming back in the day.

So it makes me happy when I hear about that.

Right now, we got about 80 flavors.

Everyone always asks me, like, what's the popular flavor?

And my response to that is usually everything.

We make all the flavors in house.

This one is orange cream, lychee and green river.

So green river is lemon lime.

I'd say, for shave ice, or any kind of like work, you have to want to do it.

You have to, like, just stick with and keep going.

And eventually you get to be, like, like, a master at it.

I guess.

I don't know if I'm a master of shave ice, but I definitely do it really good.

I like green and coconut.

On the North Shore of Oahu.

Matsumoto shave ice is one of the oldest shave ice families on the island.

Yeah.

Matsumoto actually started as a grocery store in February of 1951.

Eventually shave ice was started like five years later, back in 1956.

Location been here for 74 years.

So, where the shave ice is now is there was a house that we grew up.

I grew up as a baby you know.

Shave ice has its roots in Hawaiʻi's plantation era, when Japanese immigrants introduced an ancient Japanese treat called kakigori.

They used to use the hand shavers.

You know, when you shave the woods.

You know, they used to use that first at the beginning, and then later on, it was a hand crank machine.

What we got here is the actual machine that we started back in 1956.

It was brought by Mr.

Tanaka, the former owner of the building over here.

He went to Japan and brought this back for my dad.

And I guess there was a machine shop in Honolulu.

They put it like in a casing, and then put a motor on the top so it could be run by electricity then, instead of manual.

Yes, can I get a go with the large, large size.

You know, every weekend we spend fishing down here, and on the way from fishing at the harbor or somewhere along the North Shore, we'd always stop for a bowl of shave ice here.

It used to be served in the old plastic cones, the paper cups with the cone protectors.

And we'd eat shave ice here and go home after the long, hot day at the beach.

The old store, long time ago, was just the front area where you see the current t-shirts being sold.

That used to be the entire Matsumoto store, and they expanded to the back about maybe another two extra spaces.

So I've seen that change before, but their shave ice, it tastes just like the same as when I was growing up in the 70s and 80s in Hawaiʻi.

How was Okinawa?

Oh, good, good.

You know, I there for one month, actually, and I just got back last Wednesday.

Yeah.

It's a local thing, you know, to have shave ice, I try to keep it more like the old plantation style.

We always say there was the local people that made the store what it is today.

So my daughter always tries not to raise the price.

Shave ice isn't just a treat, it's a timeless tradition.

Every bite is a taste of Island history and a nostalgic reminder of Hawaiʻi's rich culture.

Hopefully the younger generation keep up the local treat of save ice for Hawaii.