An early 20th Century innovation that became the mark of Japan’s diverse food culture.
Food replicas, or shokuhin sanpuru as they are known in Japanese, can be seen outside restaurants all over Japan, acting as a hyper-realistic visual taster of what customers can expect once inside. The roots, processes and development of this remarkable fusion of artistry and commercial ingenuity give glimpses into Japan’s distinctive food and dining culture and how these have developed over the last century.
The beginnings of food replicas
The earliest food replicas appeared in the early 20th century, driven by Japan’s emerging department store dining culture, and the need in particular to familiarise a curious yet cautious public with unfamiliar yōshoku (‘Western food’) dishes. In 1923, Shirokiya, one of Japan’s oldest department stores, opened a dining hall in Tokyo with food replicas on display outside the hall. Having seen the array of dishes on offer, diners then purchased a corresponding meal ticket, in a system that prioritised both visual marketing and commercial efficiency. The success of the innovation led to the adoption of food replicas by other department stores and eventually by small restaurants across Japan.
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From innovation to commercial success
The growth in demand for food replicas led to the establishment of the first company dedicated to their production by Iwasaki Takizō (1895–1965) in 1932. Today the three companies that make up the Iwasaki group have a collective domestic market share of approximately 70%. The first food replicas produced by the company were fashioned in wax, the qualities of which enabled the texture and colours of food to be reproduced using moulds. Building on a childhood fascination with the potential of wax and after an initial encounter with an early food replica model in 1931, Iwasaki began experimenting with different techniques, eventually developing an effective production method using wax and agar jelly moulds. He even succeeded in replicating the wrinkled texture on the surface of an omelette his wife had just made in the kitchen. He named this first prototype ‘Kinen Omu’ (Celebration Omelette).
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Bringing wax and PVC to life
Food replicas are made to order at small factories around Japan, rather than being manufactured in bulk, ensuring they reflect as faithfully as possible the dish as it is made and served at the client restaurant. The four basic steps involved are mould-making, casting, colouring and presentation (when various parts of a dish are brought together). Over time the materials involved have changed, with silicon replacing agar jelly for the mould and wax giving way to synthetic resin to create the finished replica. Prompted by growth in demand, these changes have allowed for a product with finer detail and greater durability.
For mould-making, real examples of components of the dish to be reproduced, often supplied direct by the client food seller, are arranged in a box and silicon is poured over them, setting overnight to become the mould. Coloured liquid vinyl resin (PVC) is then poured into the moulds and heated in an oven, hardening the resin which is then removed from the mould. The models are next coloured by hand, using airbrushes, stencils and paint brushes, a step that is crucial to the creation of a product that looks genuinely delicious and ‘sells’ the dish.
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Tapping into memory through hyper-realism
The continuation of made-to-order processes mean the skill and experience of each craftsperson in accurately reproducing colour and texture remain essential in bringing each food replica to life. Food replica craftspeople are adept at recreating not just a product that is realistic, but one that draws on the memory of the food in people’s imaginations, creating finished articles that can be described as hyper-real. The craftsperson might enhance a characteristic texture like the graininess of red bean paste, heighten a colour to suggest perfect ripeness, or capture the shine of food at its freshest, to create an enhanced version of the original that appeals to the imagination of the potential customer and taps into their previous experiences of enjoying similar food. Speaking to Japan House London, food replica maker Mina Desette of Sanpuru Kobo explained how her own preferred level of ripeness in a kiwi fruit influences the colour she creates for her replicas.
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Japan’s varied food culture
The role of food replicas in Japan’s dining culture has grown far beyond its roots helping customers identify unfamiliar dishes, and replicas are commonplace at high-end confectioners, ‘family restaurant’ chains, izakaya drinking establishments, and ramen bars. They are very frequently found outside kissaten cafés in a technicolour display of the dishes typical of this type of café. Historically, only specialist shokuhin sanpuru makers produced replicas of the food and drink sold at kissaten, and while this is no longer the case, mastering the effect of smooth whipped cream on a colourful knickerbocker glory (pafe), a popular item on Japanese café menus, is still considered particularly challenging. Visitors to Japan who travel the country’s extensive rail network will also encounter displays of the travellers’ meals known as eki-ben at stations, helping customers choose from the speciality bento options on offer.
While food replicas are a familiar sight in Japan, they have not become widespread outside the country, meaning Japan House London’s exhibition Looks Delicious! Exploring Japan’s food replica culture presents a rare opportunity to see these models up close in Europe. The exhibition reflects Japan’s regional diversity and range of food traditions and innovations, with a total of 47 specially commissioned food replicas, representing each of the country’s prefectures.
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