Theyre also a convenient way to order.
Rather than trying to figure out the correct Japanese translation, customers can simply point at the display window.
The food models, calledsampuru, started appearing in Japan nearly a hundred year ago, in 1917.
Fake food on display meant more business, and that still holds true today.
It does away with the guesswork and the need to use your imagination when looking at a menu.
A single restaurant can spend as many as a million yen (USD 8,500) on plastic replicas.
Making plastic food is an art in itself, and the manufacturers fiercely guard their trade secrets.
Pictures are taken, sketches are made and a mould is prepared.
Sources:Japanzine/Trends in Japan/Wikipedia
