Welcome from Nippon Dom
Japanese Eat with Their Eyes
A Letter from the Director — Irina Fukuyama
The food service industry is one of the most developed sectors in Japan. The country leads the world in the number of dining establishments — in Tokyo alone, more than 80,000 cafés and restaurants are registered. And despite fierce competition, the number of new outlets keeps growing every year.
The main tool restaurateurs use to win customers in this market is not advertising, not promotions, and not social media. It is the display window — decorated with hyper-realistic food replicas of the menu.
Local restaurateurs consider this form of marketing the most effective and cost-efficient. Unlike other methods, it works on the most numerous and rewarding category of potential customers — the passers-by. A silicone replica in a window solves several tasks at once: it attracts attention, increases the average bill, speeds up service, and works 24 hours a day in any language. Customers like it too — everything is visible and clear: appearance, portion size, price. No questions, no hesitation.
Walking Through Tokyo
Walking along the streets of Tokyo or travelling around Japan, you cannot miss the eye-catching display windows of cafés and restaurants. The moment you spot food models from a distance, your feet carry you closer just to see the full menu. And by the time you have walked from one window to another, you are already hungry — and inside.
I have always been amazed by the power of food replicas to make you want a bite even when you are not hungry at all. Japanese marketing specialists have a name for this effect — they call food replicas “the appetite switch in the food section of the human brain.”
At every opportunity I asked Japanese restaurateurs about food replicas and the workings of their business. These conversations gradually led me to an idea: to create a workshop that would let restaurateurs outside Japan use this powerful tool for their own businesses. That is how Nippon Dom was born.
The Problem We Solve
There was a reason food replicas were almost impossible to order from abroad. Japanese factories make replicas only for local clients — and not because they refuse foreign customers, but because of the technology itself.
The production of a food replica begins with a cast taken from a freshly cooked dish. The factory needs the original meal in front of them, prepared exactly as it appears on your menu. Sending a fresh dish across borders is, for obvious reasons, impossible. Add to this the language barrier — Japanese craftsmen work only in Japanese, and there are no English-speaking project managers in the workshops.
This is exactly the gap Nippon Dom was created to close.
I learned the skills required for distant production of food replicas. Today, working from our Tokyo workshop, I can:
- recreate precise copies of dishes from your photos,
- prepare technical specifications in Japanese for the master craftsmen,
- consult restaurateurs on display window design and food service marketing.
Behind the Scenes
I love visiting the workshop and watching the production process. The replicas transform from pale, unrecognizable parts into realistic, mouth-watering dishes right in front of your eyes.
I always have breakfast before going to the workshop — but even so, when I see the finished models, my stomach starts to growl, and I want to take a bite of every single one.
My favourite moments are when I pick up the finished replicas. I admire each dish and take photos of every order — to remember every project we have done.
I genuinely love this work, and I am always glad to receive a phone call or email from you.
From the bottom of my heart, I wish you grateful customers and a thriving business.
Irina Fukuyama, Director of Nippon Dom