WeTransfer: Japanese Plastic Food

I went to Japan for the first time in 2016 and loved it. I mean, what’s not to love, right? During my time in Tokyo, I noticed that most all restaurants had fake food displays outside their restaurants. While the food looked incredibly realistic, I wondered why the practice was so prevalent. As a westerner, if I saw a restaurant say in New York display their food, I would take it as a sign that it probably won’t be receiving a Michelin star anytime soon. Fast forward a few years later, the thought came into my head again and I started doing some research for a possible photo project. After some digging, I found out that it wasn’t just some quirky Japanese thing, there was actually some history behind it. Without boring you with too many details, the birthplace of sampuru, or the art of making plastic food, began in the 1920’s in Gujo Hachiman. Why? Because at the time menus weren’t a common practice in Japan and it made it easier for patrons to order what they wanted. Today, Gujo Hachiman is still the center of all plastic food production in Japan, accounting for 80 percent of the market. To be an artisan, it isn’t as easy as applying for any old job. This is a serious practice that take years and years of being an apprentice to break into this field. I pitched the idea of documenting this world to WeTransfer and they loved it. I hopped on a plane and spent a few days in the gorgeous town of Gujo and inside the Iwasaki Sampuru factory documenting this quirky craft. No joke, these artisans are truly masters. The food may be fake, but the talent required to make them look so lifelike is very real.