Japan House: 'Looks delicious! Exploring Japan's food replica culture' exhibition

Japan House, on Kensington High Street, is the cultural home of Japan, in London. Set across three floors Japan House offers a glimpse into the culture and history of Japan, with a shop, restaurant and an exhibition space.

The current exhibition concerns the history and manufacturing of food replicas, that can be seen in the windows of tea rooms and restaurants, across the 47 prefectures of Japan.

Each replica is highly detailed and, although its manufacture has changed throughout the years, looks realistic, in thanks to the craftsperson that create these masterpieces.

The original replicas were made from hot coloured wax, which were cast from agar moulds and then painted. 

With the growing demand for food replicas, in the 1970s, PVC was used instead of wax, which allowed for greater detail and durability, but the manufacturing process remained the same.

Walking with Keilyn: Baker Street to Paddington... and beyond

Saturday January 4, 2025.

Today 'Keilyn and I were to be joined by a couple of friends, for our first walk through London of 2025. However, various events conspired against us, resulting in Keilyn and myself making the trip alone.

So, off we set, walking to Watford Metropolitan station as a short flurry of snow began to fall. We took the train to Baker Street, where, after purchasing warm drinks, we exited the station and headed north along Baker Street and on to Park Road, where we dropped down onto the Regent's Canal Towpath.

Having walked to Camden and King's Cross too many times we decided to walk in the opposite direction, heading towards Little Venice and from there Paddington.

The snow had by now stopped and the towpath was quiet, with us only seeing a few other walkers along the canal. We reached Lisson Moorings, where we admired the narrow boats and barges, before we reached the Maida Hill Tunnel, where we climbed the slippery metal steps to Aberdeen Place. 

We walked along Maida Avenue, rejoining the towpath at Warwick Bridge, and Little Venice. Surprisingly all of the cafes and kiosks were closed, so we continued beneath Westway towards Paddington Basin. 

A blue 'velvet' covered Paddington Bear statue provided a photo opportunity, before we reached Praed Street, where we stopped for some lunch at a KFC.

Suitably filled we headed inside Paddington Station in search of the Paddington Bear statue, which we soon found by looking out for the crowds. We waited patiently for the other children to have their photos taken before it was Keilyn's turn. 

We then headed further along the platform to Paddington's Bench, where another photo was taken. 

We then headed out of the station and headed along Praed Street to The Wild Table of Love, where Keilyn joined Dogman and Rabbitwoman with their guests of ten of the most endangered animals in the world. Just across Eastbourne Terrace, Maarten Baas' 'Man in a Clock' was busy painting hands inside the clock face.

Heading south down Westbourne Terrace we entered Kensington Gardens and the amazing Italian Gardens. Again, there were not too many people around so we made our way along the path, beside The Long Water, to the 'Peter Pan' statue.

From here we headed west towards the 'Physical Energy' statue and, from there, on to the Round Pond. It was here that we discovered the crowds who were eagerly waiting to enter Kensington Palace, so we continued along Studio Walk and turned down Palace Green towards Kensington High Street.