Japan House London Announces Looks Delicious!

Japan House London Announces Looks Delicious! Exploring Japan’s Food Replica Culture 

A UK first exhibition that looks at the highly skilled craft of Japan’s unique food replica culture will debut at Japan House London on the 2nd October. Food replicas are hyper-realistic models of dishes, indistinguishable from the real thing, that are a popular way for restaurants to showcase food to prospective customers all throughout Japan.

Diners in Japan will often be tempted into one of the country’s 1.4 million restaurants by remarkably convincing three-dimensional recreations of available dishes, typically displayed in a glass case outside. Some of these food replicas are so realistic that it can be hard to believe that you can’t eat them.

This autumn, Japan House London presents Looks Delicious!, a mouth-watering journey through the uniquely Japanese phenomenon of sampuru (from the word ‘sample’), offering UK audiences a rare opportunity to see these skilful creations up close and appreciate their artistry. There has never been an exhibition fully dedicated to Japanese food replicas in the UK before.

For this exhibition, the world-leading food replica manufacturer Iwasaki has been commissioned to create 47 brand new food samples, representing each of Japan’s prefectures. Dishes range from goya chanpuru (bitter melon stir fry) from Okinawa to the famous abundant seafood from the northern seas of Hokkaido. As well as this presentation of regional cuisine, Looks Delicious! explores: the history of food replica culture; how replicas are produced; how food models have become an integral part of nutritional education; alongside some alternative and future uses of food samples in Japan. Videos, maps and detailed diagrams will bring the art-form to life in a way that has never been seen before.

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An interactive area invites visitors to create their own bento box of replica food that they can capture and share on social media. The exhibition will also be complemented by a varied events programme, including workshops where audiences can make their own food samples as well as craft and cookery demonstrations and talks about Japanese cuisine.

Exhibition Curator Simon Wright, Director of Programming at Japan House, said: 

“Colourful food replicas found outside restaurants, in cities such as Tokyo and Osaka, often appear on the camera rolls of many visitors to Japan. Irresistibly intriguing, hyper-realistic and painstakingly handcrafted, this exhibition is the first of its kind in the UK to explore in depth the artistry of Japan’s food replicas, their manufacture and their uses, with some interesting surprises.” 

Japan House London is collaborating with Iwasaki Groups in Tokyo, Osaka and Gujo Hachiman, Gifu, to create the designs. This exhibition has been made possible thanks to support from the Japan House London Trust.

Find the exhibition at Japan House London, 101-111 Kensington High St, London W8 5SA

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