Make Plastic Food Samples (Kappabashi, Asakusa)

Have you ever wondered how to make plastic food samples? You can enjoy making food samples the old fashion way with wax at Ganso Sample in Kappabashi, Tokyo (aka Kitchen Town located near Asakusa). Kappabashi is the main restaurant and kitchen supplies neighbourhood in Tokyo with over 150 stores supply the over 80,000 restaurants in Tokyo! Kappabashi is a great 2-hour side trip to add on to touring Asakusa. As you walk through Kappabashi, you will see many stores selling plastic food samples but only at Ganso Sample store can you make some and take it home! Here is a video of our experience.

Ganso Sample store offers 60-75 mins classes on how to make food samples. In one class period, you can make one lettuce, and two pieces of tempura (you can choose from shrimp, eggplant, pumpkin, lotus root, shitake, pepper or sweet potato). The class is 2,160 yen and includes instruction and three pieces of sample food to take home. My 11-year-old son attended the class and said “it was really cool”. I attend as an onlooker. All of the attendees in our class, except my son, were adults. First the instructor shows how to make each item and then each student make their own with support from the instructors. The instructors only speak Japanese, however, by watching closely anyone can make the food samples. The classes are held three times a day; 11:00, 14:00 and 16:00, seven days a week. You do need a reservation, so please have a Japanese speaker call 0120-17-1830 to set a date and time. Kids have to be over 1st grade elementary and kids under 3rd-grade need to be accompanied by an adult. Up to 16 students can attend the class at one time. You get to take home the plastic food samples you make, but if that is not enough they also sell kits to make at home! We bought the curry set plastic food set and will be making it tonight in our kitchen.

The Ganso Sample store and workshop are located about 70% down the main shopping street on the right hand side if you enter the shopping street from the big chef sign. You can tell the store by the large bug  statue (Kabutomushi) above the store.

I hope you enjoy learning how to make plastic food samples!

Make Plastic Food Samples at Ganso Sample Details

Address: 3-7-6 Nishi Asakusa, Taito-Ku, Tokyo
Phone: 0120-17-1839
Hours: Store is open 10:00 – 17:30; classes are held every day at 11:00, 14:00 and 16:00
Cost: 2,500 yen (tax included)
Access: 5 min walk from Asakusa station on the Tsukuba Express line; 12 min walk from the Tawaramachi station on the Ginza line. Public parking on the street or coin parking on back streets.
Website: www.ganso-sample.com
Our video experience: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSrgktEHC8w
Notes: Not stroller or wheelchair accessible.

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Make Plastic Food Samples at Ganso Sample 

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