Truly Tasteless: Japan's Plastic Food Artists Get Creative

This photo taken on August 17, 2022 shows a artificial aliment sample in preparation for an exhibition hosted by Japan’s Iwasaki Group in Tokyo. — AFP photo
This photo taken on August 17, 2022 shows a artificial aliment sample in preparation for an exhibition hosted by Japan’s Iwasaki Group in Tokyo. — AFP photo
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Truly Tasteless: Japan's Plastic Food Artists Get Creative

This photo taken on August 17, 2022 shows a artificial aliment sample in preparation for an exhibition hosted by Japan’s Iwasaki Group in Tokyo. — AFP photo
This photo taken on August 17, 2022 shows a artificial aliment sample in preparation for an exhibition hosted by Japan’s Iwasaki Group in Tokyo. — AFP photo

From the "leaning tower of pizza" to a fish slicing and cooking itself and a dragon emerging from a dragon fruit, Japanese artisans' quirky plastic food sculptures went on display this week at an exhibition in Tokyo.

The models were made with the same painstaking detail as the rock-solid noodle soups and crispy-looking plastic snacks that have long been displayed outside Japanese restaurants where they are called "shokuhin sampuru", or "sample food products".

Sampuru are common outside ramen shops and family restaurants across Japan a century after stores began using wax models to advertise their menu to a growing middle class, AFP reported.

"Normally we have to follow orders from clients. We take their views on board when we're making items," plastic food artist Shinichiro Hatasa, 57, told AFP.

But when dreaming up fun designs, "you can use your imagination. How it ends up is totally up to you," he said.

For the exhibition, Hatasa crafted an ear of corn leisurely sunbathing on a beach.

Other creations on display included a deep-fried shrimp with four breaded legs roaming like a tiger on a mountain of shredded cabbage and a Tetris game made of chicken.

A Japanese breakfast dish of fermented soybeans called natto appeared to spiral in the air, resembling a powerful cyclone -- nicknamed, naturally, a "nattornado".

Around 60 sculptures were on display, some silly but others designed to showcase the artists' formidable skills.

"They are not real, but they look so real. It's wonderful," said exhibition attendee Reiko Ichimaru.

- 'Burgers are for beginners' -
All the models were handmade by specialists at Iwasaki Group, Japan's leading maker of "sampuru", which celebrates its 90th anniversary this year.

At an Iwasaki factory in Yokohama near Tokyo, artisans first take moulds of ingredients from actual meals cooked by the firm's restaurant clients.

Then they begin the meticulous work of decorating the samples to look as realistic as possible, from moisture droplets on chilled glass to subtle bruises on a fruit's surface.

"Fresh things are more difficult to make. Fresh vegetables, fresh fish. Cooked items are easier," because the colours are less complicated, factory head Hiroaki Miyazawa, 44, told AFP.

"Hamburger patties are for beginners," he added.

Fake food is a multi-million-dollar market in Japan, but sampuru production has been hit by the Covid-19 pandemic, which reduced demand for dining out.

Sampuru makers hope more tourists will soon be allowed into the country to boost the restaurant industry, but they are also putting their unique skills to use elsewhere.

For example, Iwasaki artisans have made replica bananas at different degrees of ripeness for factories to use to train new employees.

Orders have also come in from IT sales merchants, who want to use mock 5G wi-fi routers in their presentations.

Meanwhile, at the exhibition, the more original offerings are delighting children and adults alike.

"I think the number of restaurants using plastic food displays is decreasing," said Yutaka Nishio, 52.

"It's interesting to preserve this as art. It's really great."



Copenhagen to Offer Giveaways to Eco-friendly Tourists

Copenhagen will offer rebates at tourist sites to visitors who use bikes and pick up trash. Asger Korsgaard Jensen / Ritzau Scanpix/AFP/File
Copenhagen will offer rebates at tourist sites to visitors who use bikes and pick up trash. Asger Korsgaard Jensen / Ritzau Scanpix/AFP/File
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Copenhagen to Offer Giveaways to Eco-friendly Tourists

Copenhagen will offer rebates at tourist sites to visitors who use bikes and pick up trash. Asger Korsgaard Jensen / Ritzau Scanpix/AFP/File
Copenhagen will offer rebates at tourist sites to visitors who use bikes and pick up trash. Asger Korsgaard Jensen / Ritzau Scanpix/AFP/File

The city of Copenhagen will offer special rebates and freebies to eco-friendly tourists this summer, including free bike rentals to those arriving by train and staying more than four days.

The CopenPay initiative, which was tested on a smaller scale last year, "is about raising travelers' awareness about travelling more responsibly," Soren Tegen Pedersen, the head of the city's tourism board Wonderful Copenhagen, told AFP.

The emphasis of the initiative is on transport, a highly polluting sector.

Those who make climate-friendly and environmental choices, such as using bikes and picking up trash, will also be offered rebates at museums and tourist sites, as well as free yoga classes and vegetarian meals.

Ninety sites are participating in the campaign, including the National Museum and CopenHill, a synthetic ski slope.

The campaign, which opens on June 17 and lasts until late August, will be advertised on billboards around the city and social media.

Goboat, a hire service for electric motorboats powered by solar panels, said taking part in the initiative last year helped show its commitment to climate solutions.

"Last year, 500 people jumped at our offer of one hour of free boating in exchange for picking up trash in the waters of the port. We weren't even able to satisfy demand," company representative Mads Pilegaard Sander told AFP.

In 2024, 75,000 tourists took part in the city's one-month trial.

Bike rentals increased by 29 percent during the period, tons of trash were collected, and 98 percent of participants said they would recommend the initiative, the tourism board said.