One of the most popular items for tourists visiting Japan from abroad is the Food model.
In Japan, the term ‘食品サンプル / Shokuhin(Food)-sample’ is used.
It is Japanese-English and may feel strange to people from overseas. (The original meaning of ‘food sample’ is the product to be analysed for food safety.)
Food samples are samples of food displayed in shop-front showcases in Japanese restaurants and other establishments.
The sample is very similar in shape to the food served and is bought by people who are attracted by the extremely high degree of sophistication…
From the point of view of an older generation of Japanese (like me), it seems strange to go to the trouble of buying samples as souvenirs that should be placed in shop fronts, but from the point of view of people in countries where food samples are not common, it is probably more strange to find food samples on display in restaurant fronts.
In recent years, Food samples have been spreading globally, particularly in Asia, but it is fair to say that its central presence is in Japan.
However, Food samples have not always existed in Japan, and even today not all restaurants display Food samples.
It is said that restaurants in the 19th century already had samples of food, the predecessor of the Food sample, which were not samples but actual samples of food.
Naturally, samples of actual food would spoil over time, so it is said that the current food samples were created in the 1920s as practical samples that could be displayed for a long period of time.
The food samples, made from wax-based moulds and painted with oil paints, were adopted for use in department stores’ restaurants in 1923.
As can be seen from this, ‘food sample presentation’ is mainly employed in mass-market restaurants. On the other hand, food samples are rarely seen in high-class Japanese restaurants called ‘料亭 / ryotei’ or ‘割烹 / kappo’, or in high-class Western restaurants.
Fast food restaurants such as ‘McDonald’s’, ‘Kentucky Fried Chicken’, ‘Yoshinoya’ and ‘Matsuya’ also adopt the presentation of photographs of food instead of food samples.
There is no clear relationship between the type of restaurant and the food sample, and it is case-by-case, but in the Japanese food service industry, the current form is familiar without any particular problems.
Why did the culture of food samples take root and develop in Japan?
Over time, food samples have become so elaborate that they are indistinguishable from real food, and this is the result of the creator’s persistence. The Japanese have a tendency to over-evolve technology and culture when they find it useful.
However, that is a consideration based on results, and there seem to be other reasons why food samples have taken hold.
Apart from the advantage of being able to check the food served in advance, the Japanese may be looking for something more from food samples.
One theory is that Japanese people gain a sense of security about the food they are served by checking food samples. Can they not shake off a sense of insecurity about the quality of food, which they do not know until it comes out and which they cannot grasp from photographs?
Furthermore, looking at the development of food samples, there are not a few samples that not only faithfully reproduce food, but also seem to produce a sense of taste and enjoyment during the meal. It is likely that the Japanese are trying to feel the pleasure of eating through food samples.
Food samples have evolved more in regions where food culture has developed since ancient times (e.g. Osaka). The expectations that Japanese people have for food samples may be greater than they are aware of.
It is so popular that there are now shops and sales websites specialising in “food samples”. There are even keyrings that have been scaled down to the size of a palm. This was unthinkable some time ago, but it is part of a culture that has arisen from “one of the possibilities”.
Is there anything in your country that you “don’t normally pay attention to, but that you can’t find in other countries”?
Even a minimal and minor culture may evolve into a culture that is known around the world, depending on how it is produced.