Existing for over 100 years, the use of food models as a form of advertising is closely linked with every restaurant in Japan.
If you are used to menus without illustrations or dishes that do not resemble their pictures, your experience in Japan will give you a completely different perspective.
In Japan, it is not uncommon for food items to be shaped, presented, and even sized exactly like the dishes you receive. This applies to high-end restaurants, packaged foods, and even street food. To provide detailed descriptions of the dishes, they even use hyper-realistic food models, known as “sampuru.”
Restaurants display food models outside for easy selection by customers.
Sampuru – A Unique Cultural Aspect
Food models, or sampuru, first appeared in Japan in 1917 and have a history spanning over a century. Initially, they were used solely for decoration inside homes, akin to artificial plants of that era. A few years later, when a restaurant in Tokyo decided to use these “eye-catching” models to attract customers, the idea began to permeate through eateries across the country.
Sampuru has a long history.
Since then, most restaurants, food stalls, and supermarkets display replica products to illustrate menu items for customers. Gradually, this has become a longstanding traditional culinary culture in Japan.
These models are perfect replicas made from plastic of the dishes that the restaurant or supermarket offers. These food replicas are so detailed that they often look more appetizing than the real food, typically displayed so potential customers can quickly review the chef’s menu before entering the restaurant.
Unbelievable Prices Yield Massive Profits
One of the early pioneers of the replica food industry is entrepreneur Ryuzo Iwasaki, who began selling his products in Osaka in 1932.
After achieving initial success in the major city, he returned to his hometown in Gifu Prefecture, founded a company, and built it into a super realistic artificial food empire, controlling 80% of this market.
Each model costs significantly more than real food.
Displayed replica food means more business, and that remains true to this day. The use of these models helps customers eliminate guesswork and the need for imagination when perusing a menu. Typically, a restaurant may spend up to one million yen (approximately 170 million VND) for these plastic replicas. The reason for such high prices is that the creation process is largely manual, and manufacturers must invest significantly in producing these models.
A Demanding Art Form
Creating plastic food in Japan is considered an art form. The process usually begins with restaurants bringing food to the factory for artisans to photograph, sketch, and mold the models.
Once the food items are successfully molded, the artisans’ work enters the most critical phase, where they must hand-paint every detail. These artisans examine each detail of the actual food and use oil-based paint to apply color to the plastic.
The most crucial step in creating models is detailing and painting.
The replicas mimic every detail of real food, from the brown color on bacon and eggs to the grill marks on chicken or the difference between medium-rare and well-done steak… Most of these models are handmade to order. Even for the same type of food, each restaurant has its own presentation and ingredients, so no two models are the same.
While many other companies also employ mass production techniques that are more affordable, people still prefer handcrafted works, despite the fact that these models can cost 10 to 20 times more than the actual food.
