Japanese plastic food artists get creative

From a “leaning pizza tower” to a chicken Tetris game, the eccentric plastic food sculptures of Japanese artisans were on display this week at an exhibition in Tokyo. The rock-solid noodle soups and crunchy plastic snacks have long been displayed outside Japanese restaurants, where they are called “shokuhin sampuru”, or “food samples”. Some 60 sculptures were on display to showcase the artists’ formidable skills. The Iwasaki Group is Japan’s leading manufacturer of sampuru, which is celebrating its 90th anniversary this year.