Have you ever heard of the popular saying that something “looks good enough to eat?” The folks at Ganso Food Sample, the makers of our Food Sample lineup, took this saying quite literally. The Food Sample products we carry at Shibuya Stationary Store are a collection of incredibly realistic-looking food items. It's realistic enough to fool anyone (especially ones with an empty stomach).
Before we learn more about the Food Sample lineup, let us explore more about this fascinating food replica industry pioneer through the family that started Ganso Food Sample.
Brief History of the Food Replica Industry
The food replica was first invented in 1917, serving its purpose as a cooking model that helped improve hospital nutrition. Takizo Iwasaki was said to be the first to commercialize these food replicas and broaden their purpose, making them promotional items for restaurants to entice customers.
The story goes that Takizo Iwasaki first created his food replica by recreating an omelet that his wife Suzu had cooked. She was so impressed by the result and could not tell which of the omelets was real and which was fake. From then on, he created a manufacturing method that furthered the food replica industry with his wife, Suzu, and used the background knowledge he gained while working as a pharmaceutical wholesaler apprentice. He also founded his company, “Iwasaki Seisakusho”, now known as Iwasaki Co., Ltd. (1932), the company that later on created Ganso Food Sample.
From walking around to small restaurants with a wooden box in hand, he slowly expanded his business nationwide through various business endeavors. Today, the Japanese food replica industry has gone a long way to become a crucial promotional tool used by many restaurants in Japan to attract customers.
Checkout Iwasaki Co., Ltd.’s current (2025) president Tsuyoshi Iwasaki, discussing the food replica industry and its evolution in a seminar with Japan House London.
Ganso Food Sample
Ganso Food Sample products that we carry at Shibuya Stationery Store is a brand under Iwasaki Co., Ltd.. They have several shops located in different parts of Tokyo, selling replica food items of various sizes and products. Their Kappabashi shop is located in Nishi Asakusa and another shop is located in the Tokyo Skytree Town Solamachi store.
At Shibuya Stationary Store, we carry a collection of Food Sample products for you to choose from. From our popcorn keychain, and sushi phone strap, to rice cracker fridge magnet, and even yuzu pen stands to brighten up your workstation. Show love to your favorite sushi by hanging a keychain version of it on your everyday backpack or sticking a reminder note on top of a strawberry cupcake.
