Melo Villareal
Japanese Sample Food Making at Sample Village Iwasaki
One of the few things that excited me after securing my Japan Visa was actually not just eating Japanese food where it all came from but a trip to Sample Village Iwasaki. In this place, Japanese Sample Food is produced. Read more to find out why…
Makes me want to eat it but I cant!
One of the things I like most about Japanese restaurants is their beautiful food presentation. I grew up in a province with no Japanese restaurants, and I only got to try Japanese food when I transferred to Metro Manila for my college schooling.
My first Japanese food experience was during World Youth Day (WYD) 1995, in Malate District. One of our Japanese counterparts invited our group for dinner. We all happily walked from Quirino Grand Stand, and we did not stop until UN Avenue, where we found a humble Japanese restaurant. That night, I clearly remember looking at the bowls and Japanese cuisine plates behind the counter’s glass shelf. At first, I thought they were pre-cooked, but my Japanese friend told me they were just wax samples and that she lived in a province where such plastic food replicas were made.
Before I left for Japan, I looked for my WYD 1995 souvenirs to find the name of that Japanese friend I met 20 years ago. I wanted to tell her that I was finally having the chance to visit her province and see the sample food they produced. Unfortunately, I lost my WYD 1995 souvenirs and notes. I wasn’t able to tell her.
Nevertheless, I, together with fellow bloggers and travel writers, proceeded to Japan, still hoping that we might meet again some other time someday.
Also Read: Affordable Accommodation Options in Japan via Agoda
It was my third day in Japan when I finally got to visit Gujo Hachiman, my friend’s hometown. It is where one can find Sample Village Iwasaki, one of the food replica studios in town. Food studios like Sample Village Iwasaki produce wax food replicas like the ones I saw in that Japanese restaurant we ate in 1995. In fact, most of the food samples in Japanese restaurants are produced here, in Gujo Hachiman.
If you are like me, amazed at the food replicas displayed in Japanese restaurants and cafeterias, then you should definitely include this place in your itinerary on your next trip to Japan. But for now, I’ll tell you more about my experience.
About Iwasaki Sample Village
Gujo Hachiman is known in Japan as the center for producing food replicas. It has four food studios. One of those four, and the oldest as well, is Sample Village Iwasaki. It opened in 1932 and has been producing food samples since then. The name “sample village” came from the Japanese word sampuru, which means “food sample,” or those wax replicas being displayed in Japanese food joints.
There are claims that Iwasaki Sample Village produces half of the food samples being displayed in Japanese restaurants across Japan, so when I learned that I would be able to travel to Japan this year and that I would be able to visit Gujo Hachiman, I wanted to jump up and down like a little kid in joy. My fascination for the food samples I saw in that Japanese restaurant 20 years ago has not faded. Going to the place that makes those fantastic, realistic wax replicas of food is a dream come true.
It is also said that putting food replicas on display at the counter made huge revenue increases. Aside from that, having wax food samples on display helps customers see the details of the food and get what they really want without feeling bad or unsatisfied after the meal. Having wax food replicas on display helps both the business owners and the customers, so it’s a win-win situation. Plus, the Japanese love to make their dishes very, very presentable (one thing I like most about the Japanese culture). The display of food replicas has, in turn, been engraved into the Japanese tradition.
The importance of the Japanese food sample tradition is evident within Sample Village Iwasaki. When I and my travel buddies roamed around and outside the food studio, we were able to see a small museum that is dedicated to the father of modern sampuru making, Mr. Iwasaki. The museum has pictures of Mr. Iwasaki’s sampuru creations from before and how his descendants continued the legacy of the artistic and cultural wax sample-making up until this day.
Activities in Sample Village Iwasaki
What I enjoyed most in Sample Village Iwasaki was my hands-on experience in making the food samples myself. Looking at the food samples from behind the glass shelf was amazing, but making them myself was even more amazing!
My travel buddies and I were given the choice between Set A and Set B for our hands-on experience. In Set A, we would be taught how to make tempura pumpkin squash, tempura prawn, tempura eggplant, and cabbage. In Set B, we would be taught similar things but without the eggplant and pumpkin squash tempura.
We all went for Set A, and we enjoyed every step of the process. At first, I was intimidated by the skills of the food sample teachers, but in the end, I was able to make my own sampuru like a pro with the guidance of the staff. I held my own food sample in my hands like a trophy!
As a foodie with a 2-decade long (and counting) love for Japanese food replicas, and with a love for cooking actual food, baking, and making new recipes, this experience is something that changed my life. If you’re a foodie like me, you should add Sample Village Iwasaki to your itinerary. You should try making your own food sample too!
Also Read: Thrifty Japan: Simple Ways to Save Money When in Japan
I will definitely come back here the next time I go to Japan. And next time, I would like to be able to see my Japanese friend from WYD 1995. It would be nice to see her again and perhaps make some sampuru with her, too.
Flights from Manila to Nagoya, Japan
Cebu Pacific Air, the leading airline in the Philippines, flies between Manila and Nagoya (Chubu Centrair International Airport) every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday. Book your flights through CebuPacificAir.com. For updates and seat sale announcements, check out www.facebook.com/
Sample Village Iwasaki
Address: 250 Jonan-cho, Hachiman-cho, Gujo City, Gifu | Map
Telephone Number: 0575-67-1808
Business Hours: 10:00am – 4:00pm (Replica-making until 3:00pm)
Entrance fee: Adults: 300 yen, Children: 200 yen
Hands-on replica-making experience: 1,000 yen — tempura (3 pieces), lettuce head (1, cut in half), and candles (2)
Our Nagoya Familiarization Tour last October 6-10, 2015 was sponsored by Cebu Pacific Air and Centair. Many thanks for this wonderful opportunity 🙂
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