Fake Food Nation: Making My Own Replica Nibbles | nippon.com

http://www.nippon.com/en/nipponblog/m00036/ A display at the entrance of almost edibly lifelike replicas of the dishes available within is a fun feature of many restaurants in Japan. But it's not as frivolous as it may seem—the art of making these "shokuhin samples" actually stretches back around a hundred years, and is characterized by the same high-level technique and meticulous eye for detail so crucial to many other traditional Japanese crafts. Nippon.com editor and translator Richard Medhurst went to take part in a workshop and came away with some mementos that looked good enough to, well, eat.