An 80-year-old pioneer of food samples
Food samples can be seen everywhere at the fronts of restaurants, bars and other eateries. The store which has been making these samples is located in Kappabashi. Ganso Shokuhin Sample-ya was founded in 1932 as Iwasaki Co. Ltd and is known as a pioneer in creating food replicas as the main part of its nationwide business promoting restaurants.
Cute little samples which look like the real thing and the homemaking set
At the Kappabashi showroom, unique and enjoyable original items such as realistic fancy goods, magnets, keyrings and straps designed with a food motif born from 80 years of technique are on sale. There are plenty of these little goods that are fun just to look at including sushi, yakitori, grilled fish, hamburgers and cakes that are indistinguishable from the real thing. Artists create the items one-by-one by hand in the company factories inside Japan so each item has its own distinct differences in appearance so it’s also fun to actually compare items and choose the one you prefer. Also, another popular product is the sample kit, Sanpurun, from which you can make your own replicas at home. You can easily enjoy creating things such as ramen, spaghetti, parfaits and ice cream through a hot water bath.
Workshops to create popular food samples
In the workshop area on the 2nd floor of the shop, classes to create food samples using wax are popular (advance reservations are necessary). You can make 2 pieces of tempura (choose two from shrimp, eggplant, pumpkin, mushroom, yam, etc.) and head of lettuce. Even beginners can have fun creating samples thanks to the demonstrations and instruction by the staff.