【Sample Creation Studio — Sample Kobo】Japan’s No. 1 in Food Sample Production

See, touch, and experience the food samples at Sample Kobo!

The main store of Sample Kobo is located in a 150-year-old traditional townhouse, offering a popular tourist attraction where you can see, touch, and create food samples.

The experience corner is perfect for making memories. After receiving instructions from the staff, you can create your own food sample in 20 to 60 minutes, and of course, take it home with you. With a choice of vegetables, tempura, sweets, and more, you might want to try making samples multiple times. In addition, there are corners for selling sample goods, impressive sample displays, and even a production workshop where you can see the professional techniques in action. It’s a fun place for both adults and children, so be sure to stop by when you’re in the area. There is also a sister store in Aichi Prefecture, so please check it out if you have the chance.

In addition, the facility is scheduled to be renovated and reopened on March 21, 2023. The facility, which has an entrance fee, will feature a new section that combines nostalgic retro exhibits from the Showa and Heisei eras with food samples. Be sure to visit this unique facility in Japan.

Choose your favorite menu and try making samples!

One of the most accessible options among the available experience menus is Sweets Tart Making. There is no age limit, so even young children can participate. After choosing your favorite fruits, squeeze whipped cream onto the tart, and then balance the fruits on top. You can also add a clip in the center to use it as a memo holder.

Another option for both children and adults is Smartphone Stand Making. As an original product of Sample Kobo, you can create a unique design that looks like spilled ice cream. Mix all the materials, and as the color changes and starts to solidify, pour it onto a mat and insert a spoon before it hardens completely. You can choose from four colors inspired by vanilla, strawberry, chocolate, and matcha flavors.

Lastly, there’s the popular menu item Tempura & Lettuce Making, which requires advance reservations. First, choose three ingredients you like, and then the fun begins! Melted wax is dropped into lukewarm water to create the pieces, which requires a bit of skill, so participation is limited to elementary school students and older. However, even if you struggle a bit, the finished product will be impressive and hardly looks homemade. Packing the finished dishes in a container might make you feel like you’re buying prepared food at a supermarket. Be sure to visit and experience something unique that you can’t find anywhere else.

Unbelievable replicas that make you want to take a closer look at the sample displays

One of the attractions of Sample Kobo is the numerous samples developed by the staff, displayed in restaurant-style showcases and antique boxes with drawers that are reminiscent of Gujo Hachiman. The craftsmanship of each piece is so impressive that you’ll want to take your time to examine each one. The sweet treats, like parfaits and cakes, as well as Western dishes, like omelet rice and pasta and the barbecue ingredients placed on a grill, look so realistic that you wouldn’t be surprised to see smoke rising from them.

In addition to the dishes, there are also samples of the individual ingredients. Fresh vegetables, meltingly marbled meat, seafood that looks like it could move at any moment, and even foamy beer and snacks for drinks that would delight any father, the staff is constantly coming up with new ideas, so even those who have visited before can enjoy it again and again. This astonishing, ultimate fake display is sure to excite you, your family, and friends. Also, on the Sample Kobo website, there is a Real or Fake Quiz, where you can compare the real thing with the ultra-realistic replicas by looking at the photos, so give it a try if you’re interested!

Realistic souvenirs available in various sizes, from small to large

You can, of course, purchase ready-made products as well. Some Japanese specialties that are popular with foreign visitors are sushi, grilled eel, and peeled oranges. The oranges are so meticulously crafted, down to the white pith, that you might be tempted to eat them if they were on the table. There is also a wide variety of cute sweets, like strawberries and pancakes, which seem to captivate the hearts of children and women.

Additionally, there are original products, such as forks with the Sample Kobo name on them, complete with cream and fruit as if they had scooped up a parfait. You can also buy life-sized ramen and kids’ lunch sets. These products can be purchased at two sister stores in neighboring Aichi Prefecture.

The first store is Sample Kobo Centrair, located at Chubu Centrair International Airport, the gateway to the Chubu region. Here, you can buy the smartphone stand we introduced in the experience content, as well as a variety of small items, like keychains and magnets that won’t take up much space in your luggage. Check it out when you want to pick up souvenirs from the Tokai area.

The second store is Sample Kobo Makers Pier, located at Kinjofuto in Nagoya City. It is conveniently near the kids’ theme park Legoland Japan, making it an ideal stop on your way. Like the main store, you can also enjoy hands-on experiences here, and there is a limited Fruit Parfait that can only be made at this location. Feel free to make a reservation on the day of your visit!