In many restaurants in Tokyo, you will see plastic versions of the food served inside the
restaurant. Normally set in a glass cabinet with prices and food names. A way to entice
people to enter the restaurant as well as a way to allow customers to fully visualize
exactly what the food looks like that’s served.
Window displays filled to the brim with these plastic food plates are quite eye catching.
Specialty dishes, mains, lunch specials, sides and deserts all in multicolored plastic. Even
sandwiches or curry houses.
For ‘yaki niku’ restaurants, there are plastic marbleized cuts of raw beef or pork.
Or plastic sushi sets for lower quality sushi shops. These are actually not cheap and can
set a restaurant owner back a hefty price.
Kappabashi is the place in Tokyo where there are many shops that deal with the
restaurant trade. This is where you can find these plastic food shops. It’s a nice place to
go visit when touring Tokyo.