Edible Realities Bring Japan’s Culinary Art to JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles

At JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles, illusion takes center stage. Opening September 18, 2025, “Looks Delicious! | Exploring Japan’s Food Replica Culture” invites visitors to immerse themselves in the world of shokuhin sampuru, the hyper-realistic handcrafted food models that have fascinated diners in Japan for more than a century. Presented as the first U.S. exhibition dedicated entirely to this intricate art form, the show offers an unexpected lens into Japanese culinary culture, where the visual allure of a dish is as captivating as its taste.

Organized in collaboration with leading food replica manufacturer Iwasaki and curated by Simon Wright, Director of Programming at Japan House London, the exhibition assembles an extraordinary collection of newly commissioned pieces. Each of Japan’s 47 prefectures is represented through culinary icons plotted across a sweeping map, revealing a tapestry of regional flavors in sculptural form. Running through January 25, 2026, the exhibition celebrates the uncanny artistry of shokuhin sampuru, where every glossy parfait, charred skewer, and gleaming melon cream soda teeters on the edge of reality.

The displays traverse the breadth of Japanese cuisine: kissaten desserts, izakaya favorites, train station bentō, and delicate washoku classics rendered in astonishing three-dimensional detail. Visitors encounter the distinctive techniques of artists specializing in Western-style yōshoku, traditional washoku, and Chinese-inspired chūka, witnessing how each tradition has been miniaturized, molded, and immortalized in plastic. Behind-the-scenes films and immersive installations offer rare insight into the craft’s history and evolution, spotlighting the meticulous process behind each swirl of whipped cream and translucent slice of sashimi.

Interactivity lies at the heart of the experience. Guests are invited to curate their own bentō boxes using an array of replica ingredients, drawing on Japan’s cultural emphasis on harmony, color, and balance in food presentation. This playful activity extends beyond the gallery: visitors can photograph their creations and share them, carrying a fragment of the exhibition’s artistry into the digital realm.

Supplementing the exhibition, a program of talks, workshops, and live demonstrations will unfold over the coming months. The first, “Special Talk | Inside Japan’s Hyper-Realistic Food Replicas,” takes place on September 18, 2025, featuring Takashi Nakai of Iwasaki Co., Ltd., who will reveal the precision and imagination required to transform plastic into an edible dreamscape.

Admission to the exhibition, the library, and the Mindfulness Lounge at JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles is free, with walk-ins welcome as space permits. The gallery opens daily from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays and until 8 p.m. on weekends.