Yakuza 4: Green Tea Float

During my recent vacation in Japan, I visited Kabukicho just northeast of the Shinjuku train station. This small area of busy narrow streets is a red-light district and just so happens to be the real life influence for Kamurocho in the Yakuza series. I found it surprisingly easy to navigate the alleys and crosswalks because of all the time I spent exploring in the game. Unfortunately, a lot of the area seemed to currently be under construction/remodeling and I couldn’t see all the sights I wanted to see. In the game, there are several different hostess clubs to visit and lots of hostesses to chat with. There was no short supply of those in Kabukicho (there were also plenty of host clubs). I was really excited to just stroll through the area and recognize a few of the landmarks. Walking around got me super excited for the western release of Yakuza 5.

With my mind still reminiscing about my trip to Japan, I figured it would be a good time to create a Japanese beverage. While in Japan I was surrounded by green tea everything – drinks, cakes, candy, donuts. I miss how easy it was to get green tea flavored items. My only option back home is to start making a few of these on my own! This time around we will whip up a green tea float. This drink is a cold iced matcha latte with two scoops of vanilla ice cream. Not only is this recipe easy but it is a super refreshing way to beat the summer heat.

Required Equipment: bowl, chasen (or another whisk object), blender
Ingredients:
vanilla ice cream (store bought or homemade)
2 tsp matcha powder
2 tbsp hot water
1 cup ice
1 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp sugar

Place the matcha powder in a bowl, add hot water and stir well. Place the matcha water, ice, milk, vanilla extract and sugar in a blender.

Blend until smooth. Pour into a cup and add a scoop of vanilla ice cream.