Looks Delicious!
A platter of three glimmering grilled oysters are garnished with spring onions and thin slices of lemon; slices of wagyu sit plump and perfectly formed; bowls of ramen are topped with chopsticks poised perfectly in the air. Feeling hungry? Wait till you see it in person. But these dishes aren’t there to eat: every single one is made entirely from plastic. Welcome to ‘Looks Delicious!’, a tasty exploration of one of Japan’s centuries-old traditions, Shokuhin Sampuru - Japanese food replicas.
If you’ve been lucky enough to spend time in Japan, you will have seen food replicas locked in glass cabinets outside restaurants, or displayed proudly at the entrance. They might show classic Japanese cuisine - razor-sharp sushi, perfect little bento boxes, yakitori with caramelised edges - or they might show Western food - spaghetti alfredo, beef burgers with pillowy buns, and melty cheese on toast, stretching into a satisfying cheese pull.
You’re definitely going to leave hungry
Against the backdrop of these brightly-coloured meals, visitors are treated to some tasty little morsels of Japanese culinary history. A long table in the middle represents Japan’s islands, taking you from north to south via dishes from each of its 47 prefectures, forks floating above each of them (thanks to some nifty hidden wires) and little placards detailing what’s on each plate; oysters from Hiroshima Bay, Bara-sushi from Okayama, Naporitan spaghetti in Yokohama.
You’ll leave primed with new facts...