Posted September 8, 2016 by Jonelle Patrick3 Comments Awesome Stuff To Do

Potatosaurus Rex

A few days ago I was climbing the escalators in the hated Skytree* in search of the Sumidagawa Aquarium, and was stopped in my tracks by this.

An exhibition of fake food art! Best. Idea. Ever.

RARRRR I knew you'd want a closer look. This extinct denizen of the Junk Food Era was made by — bwahahahaha EAT ALL THE CHIPS (This extinct denizen of the Junk Food Era was made by artist Katsutoshi Mutō)

I want me some of this ketchup... — I admit, this makes me want me some of this ketchup…

...although this idea of knobby and warty wasabi roots lurking inside my sushi condiment bottle, not so much — …although the idea of warty wasabi roots lurking a little too realistically inside my sushi condiment bottle, um, not so much. (Ketchup and wasabi both crafted by Hiroaki Miyasawa)

Naturally, there had to be an exploding burger... — Naturally, there had to be an exploding burger…

...and a pizza hat. Wait, a PIZZA HAT? (It was XX who dreamed up this one.) — …and a pizza hat. Let me just say that again. PIZZA HAT (And I don’t want to know what Makoto Karasawa had for dinner before he dreamed that one up)

All the art in this exhibit was made by the veteran food model experts at the Iwasaki Bei company. Apparently, they have a contest each year, rewarding the most creative entries dreamed up by the guys whose day job is to crank out all those ramen bowls and sushi platters you see in Japanese restaurant windows. (Mr. Iwasaki was apparently the inventor of food models–wouldn’t that be the most awesome thing ever to have on your resume? More on him here!)

* Skytree is the towering attraction whose only good point is that you can get a sweeping view of Tokyo without Skytree in it. I turned against it after paying twenty bucks for an elevator ride to the observation deck, just to see this.)

•

Read a novel set in Tokyo

In the wake of a deadly earthquake, fans erupt in a frenzy of mourning when it’s discovered that their favorite pop star is among the dead. But when Detective Kenji Nakamura is sent to investigate a death at a local shrine, he finds evidence that suggests the impossible: How could the head priest have been murdered by…*read more*

Jonelle Patrick View All

Writing mystery books set in Tokyo is mostly what I do, but I also blog about the odd stuff I see every day in Japan. I'm a graduate of Stanford University and the Sendagaya Japanese Institute in Tokyo, and a member of the International Thriller Writers, the Mystery Writers of America, and Sisters In Crime. When I'm not in Tokyo, I live in San Francisco. I also host a travel site called The Tokyo Guide I Wish I'd Had, so if you're headed to Japan and want to check out the places I take my friends when they're in town, take a look!

3 thoughts on “Potatosaurus Rex” ›

Is the exhibit still going on? I’ve avoided Skytree so far but it would be worth the trip just to see the food art. MUST see the potatosaurus.

Hearty congrats on the new book, by the way! You hooked me–I’m a big fan of dolls. Will pre-order from Amazon.

Jonelle Patrick says:

September 8, 2016 at 4:47 pm

Thank you thank you! (#^.^#) And yes, I just saw this last week – I can’t remember if it’s on the 4th floor or the 5th, but you can see it as you come up the escalator from Oshiage Station. (I hope there aren’t multiple escalators that come up from the station arg, I should have pinpointed the location more closely.)

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LOVE

Potatosaurus Rex

Jonelle Patrick View All

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