Japanese cuisine is celebrated worldwide for turning every meal into visual art—and the unique craft of food replicas proves that it is not just the meal that can be a feast for the eyes! Welcome to the extraordinary practice of shokuhin sampuru (or “sample foods”), Japan’s ultra-realistic, handcrafted food models that have been delighting diners for over a century.
Starting this September, JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles invites you to experience the magic of this culinary custom firsthand with “Looks Delicious! | Exploring Japan’s Food Replica Culture,” the first-ever U.S. exhibition dedicated to these astonishingly realistic food replicas.
Organized in collaboration with world-leading food replica manufacturer Iwasaki, and curated by Simon Wright, Director of Programming at JAPAN HOUSE London, this groundbreaking exhibition showcases how these edible illusions have evolved from practical marketing tools into a uniquely Japanese art form.
The exhibition unfolds across seven sections exploring the history, diversity, technical innovation, and cultural meaning of food replicas.
From floating chopsticks in a bowl of ramen to a perfectly melting grilled cheese, visitors will encounter a wide range of three-dimensional shokuhin sampuru depicting menu items in such mouthwatering detail that it can be genuinely hard to believe they aren’t edible.
The variety of food replicas on display will showcase the regional diversity of Japanese cuisine, including a specially commissioned collection representing dishes from each of Japan’s 47 prefectures, and represent the iconic sites of Japanese food culture, from kissaten (coffee house) parfaits and melon cream sodas, to izakaya (pub-style) skewers and nostalgic train station bentō (packed meal) boxes.
The exhibition will also introduce the distinctions between replica artists specializing in yōshoku (Western food), washoku (Japanese cuisine), and chūka (Chinese cuisine), and reveal the history of this ever-innovative art form, the cutting-edge techniques used in manufacturing today, and advances for the future.
Dates: Thursday, September 18, 2025 – Sunday, January 25, 2026
Closed on November 27 and December 25, 2025
Hours: Mon – Fri | 11:00 AM – 7:00 PM, Sat – Sun | 11:00 AM – 8:00 PM
Location: JAPAN HOUSE Gallery | Level 2
Fee: Free
