Kakigori Advice needed

Hi there,

I’m looking for some advice about making kakigori (Japanese shaved ice). I was in Japan this September and completely fell in love with it. I loved it so much that I ordered an authentic kakigori machine from Japan as soon as I got home.

However, I’ve been struggling to recreate that amazing texture ever since. No matter what I try, the ice I make never turns out as soft and fluffy as what I had in Japan. Mine always comes out rather hard and “crunchy,” and it melts almost instantly. The kakigori I had in Japan, on the other hand, was light and airy, and it melted slowly.

Is there anyone here who knows more about kakigori and could give me some tips?

I’m currently freezing distilled water in the molds that came with the machine. Before shaving, I let the ice sit in the machine for about ten minutes to soften. Then I start the machine with the blade pulled back and slowly move it toward the ice until it starts shaving into thin white ribbons. I drizzle some homemade syrup on it, but I also left that step out to just focus on the ice. The ice comes out shitty no matter what.

My machine is an automatic Otona model from Japan (photo attached).

I’ve also attached a picture to show what I mean. The ice came out in white ribbons, but after just a few seconds in the bowl, it started melting and didn’t taste good anymore.

Thanks in advance!!