So Real It Looks Edible! A Complete Guide to Japan’s Amazing Food Sample Craft

The history of food samples goes back Approx. more than 100 years. Records state that they were “made in various parts of Japan.” These food samples began to be developed as a full-fledged business in the field of “commercial art” from the Taisho period to the early Showa period.

In Japan’s cities at the time, such as Tokyo and Osaka, department stores were busy, and many people came from rural areas to work in the city. In Japan at that time, many people still helped at home from a young age and could not attend school, so being able to “read and write” was not as common as it is today. In cafeterias where many people gathered, including people who had come from rural areas to work, if customers could not read and the menu listed dishes with names they had never heard before, it took a long time to decide what to order, causing congestion. As a result, customers sometimes could not finish eating within their break time, and kitchen operations could not keep up. Food samples were introduced to improve this situation. Having models identical to the real dishes, showing their size and contents at a glance, helped cafeterias that had been jammed by menu decisions operate smoothly.

Food samples were considered innovative, but in 1939, when World War II began, the food sample industry also faced a crisis. At the time, food samples were made from wax. Wax, a petroleum product, became a controlled material for military use. Regulations were especially strict in urban areas such as Osaka, making it difficult to use wax as a material for making food samples. Naturally, craftspeople lost their work and evacuated to various parts of the country, scattering across Japan. Today, Gujo Hachiman in Gifu Prefecture has many food sample factories and has become a tourist destination, and this actually began with the wartime evacuation of these craftspeople. Because many craftspeople evacuated to Gujo Hachiman City in Gifu Prefecture, they continued making food samples using their skills even after World War II ended, and the area still accounts for half of Japan’s food sample production today.

From the 1950s, after the war ended, craftspeople who remained in Osaka and those who had evacuated to places across Japan such as Shizuoka and Nagoya began establishing food sample companies in different regions. Companies that made parts such as rice, meat, fish, and vegetables; companies specializing in sweets and fruit; and companies that applied the techniques to make medical organ models all refined their respective skills and continued to develop. Food samples were truly groundbreaking. As a kind of “3D sign” that had not existed before, food samples quickly spread throughout Japan and developed into an indispensable advertising tool for restaurants that remains important today.

Around this time, the name shokuhin mokei, or food models, is said to have changed to the current term shokuhin sample, meaning “food samples.”

In the 1970s and 1980s, electrical appliances became widespread, and display cases with built-in lighting became mainstream. At the time, food samples were made from wax. As a result, the heat from the lighting began to melt the samples. Food sample companies then researched new manufacturing methods, and the material gradually changed from wax to synthetic resin.

After Japan’s bubble economy collapsed, demand for food samples declined because high-quality printed materials became available at low prices. Most craftspeople who operated factories as sole proprietors did not pass down their techniques, and some began considering closing their factories with their own generation. Because the transmission of techniques had stopped during the decline after the bubble burst, many of today’s food sample craftspeople are in their 60s to 80s, and there were also no industry organizations or shared definitions.

Recently, food samples have been used not only in restaurants, but also as small goods such as keychains and as props for television, gradually regaining demand. Food samples still have plenty of room to develop further. In recent years, organizations promoting food samples and vocational schools for training food sample craftspeople have appeared, and some companies are working to spread this proud, uniquely Japanese culture around the world and make food samples a global standard.

Osaka was called “the nation’s kitchen” during the Edo period because it was a center of logistics and commerce, and today it is known as a city where food culture thrives so much that it is called “the town of kuidaore.” The shopping street that supported Osaka’s food culture is Sennichimae Doguyasuji, located in Namba Sennichimae, Chuo-ku, Osaka City. At Sennichimae Doguyasuji, you can find just about everything needed to start a restaurant. The street sells every kind of tool and item imaginable, including signs, kitchen equipment, ceramics, lacquerware, noren curtains, zabuton cushions, uniforms, lanterns, kettles and pots, knives, noodle strainers, food samples, and even maneki-neko lucky cats. It provides tools that meet the needs of chefs and restaurant professionals from around the world.

Sennichimae Doguyasuji is in a tourist area, a 10-minute walk from Dotonbori and a 5-minute walk from Namba Station. Near Namba Grand Kagetsu, where you can watch Yoshimoto Shinkigeki, there is a large sign with the character “道” (“road”) on it. That is the entrance to Sennichimae Doguyasuji.

Sennichimae Doguyasuji began in the early Meiji period. At that time, the route from Sennichimae at Hozenji Temple to Imamiya Ebisu Shrine flourished as an approach to the shrine. The origin of Doguyasuji was the small prop and general goods merchants who lined this approach. In 1885, Sennichimae became even more prosperous, but in 1912, the great fire of Namba Shinchi reduced Sennichimae to burned ruins. In 1925, the number of small prop shops, once only a few, grew to Approx. 20, and the area became lively with wholesalers, manufacturers, and specialty stores, gradually forming a shopping street. In 1935, it began changing into a street of specialty stores selling tools for Japanese, Western, and Chinese restaurants, and the tool shops grew rapidly along with the rapid growth of Minami, one of Osaka’s major downtown areas today.

However, the situation changed completely with the Pacific War, which began in 1941. People’s lives grew difficult, and like many other places, Doguyasuji became quiet and lonely. Then, in the 1945 Osaka air raids, Doguyasuji was also reduced to burned ruins, and people began living in barracks. After the war, customers gradually returned, trust was restored, and Doguyasuji made a major comeback. The barrack-style buildings were torn down, and proper stores began to appear. In 1970, the year of the previous Osaka Expo, the street was rebuilt with an arcade, becoming its current form, extending 150 meters in length. In 1993, the arcade was renewed, and the “道” sign, now the trademark of Sennichimae Doguyasuji Shopping Street, was installed.

Even today, it is a beloved local shopping street where you can find everything from tools used by food service professionals to items suitable for ordinary households.

Liquid silicone is poured directly over the ingredients of the dish to be made, creating a mold. The main material used is polyvinyl chloride, which is resistant to heat from lighting and makes it easier to express the softness of food.

The colors of the ingredients are created from four colors: yellow, red, blue, and white, and then mixed into the liquid resin. At this stage, the liquid resin is white, but in the next step, when heat is applied, a chemical reaction makes it transparent. Craftspeople color the resin while calculating this transparency. This is where their skill really shines.

The colored liquid resin is poured into the mold made first, placed in an oven, and heated at 356°F–464°F, depending on size, to harden.

Color is applied with an airbrush or brush. Depending on the ingredient, craftspeople generally mix Approx. five to six colors from the four colors of yellow, red, blue, and white, then layer them in gradients and add shading to create a three-dimensional look. It is truly the work of bringing the item to life. This is an important step that determines whether the ingredient will look appetizing. Finally, a coating is applied to prevent color fading and add gloss, completing the sample.

As the number of food sample craftspeople declines, one company in Sennichimae Doguyasuji Shopping Street is working to preserve these techniques. That company is Design Pocket Co., Ltd. It manufactures food samples and sells everything from display food samples used in restaurants to food sample goods such as keychains and magnets.

The company is said to be especially good at making custom-made food samples. It also sells food samples from various companies, not just its own products, and this sales style is said to be rare.

Concerned about the aging of the industry, the company has also established a school to train food sample craftspeople and is committed to passing on and promoting the techniques. One of the company’s features is that students who graduate from the school go on to work there, giving it a strong group of young artisans. Also, out of a desire for people to experience these advanced techniques, the company began offering hands-on food sample making experiences Approx. 15 years ago.
This experience is extremely popular with both Japanese visitors and international tourists, so reservations are required!

Experience courses include making sushi, part of Japan’s unique food culture, Osaka’s famous takoyaki, and parfaits. This time, I tried making tuna and salmon in the sushi-making course!

After your in-store experience, be sure to buy some food sample goods as souvenirs for family and friends! They will likely be especially happy if you choose their favorite foods. Inside the store, you’ll find food sample goods of all kinds of ingredients, including Japanese-style items such as onigiri, sushi, and wagashi sweets like dango, as well as vegetables, bread, and more.

There are fried shrimp and shrimp tempura magnets, grilled fish keychains, and even dried sardine earrings! These goods are full of surprise and fun ideas. Each palm-sized food sample is packed with artisan skill!

When you give them as souvenirs, they look so real that they are sure to get people excited! Be sure to also tell them how much difficult skill is required to make them look appetizing.