Sample Kobo (Food Sample Workshop)
SaveA museum and workshop in the town that made most of Japan's plastic food models.
Food samples, toys and appliances from the 1950s to the 1990s fill the rooms, and you can pick them up.
MoreWhat kind of place
Gujo Hachiman is the home of Japan's food sample trade. Takizo Iwasaki, born in the town, founded the Iwasaki group, which went on to make most of the plastic food models used across the country.
The museum here, the Retro Art Hall, fills a renovated 150-year-old townhouse with samples, toys, and appliances from the 1950s through the 1990s, and you are meant to pick them up, not only look at them.
The craft began in wax; the same shapes are now made in vinyl resin and silicone rubber.
Sources and evidence (21)
- The tempura session is the only one held in a separate space from the other projects.source
- Food samples are the signature local industry of Gujo Hachiman. Takizo Iwasaki, who was born in Hachiman-cho, founded the Iwasaki group, and it made most of what the country used.source
- Food samples began as wax work and are now made with vinyl resin and silicone rubber, worked to a level people treat as art.source
- The Retro Art Hall works on the theme of nostalgia and is billed as the only tourist facility in Japan that combines retro objects with food sample art.source
- The displays run from the 1950s through the 1990s, with food samples, toys, appliances, books, and magazines that you can pick up and photograph rather than only look at.source
- The building is divided into the Sample Diner (home of the tempura session), the first-floor display area, a penny candy shop, a corridor of old enamel signs, the workshop room, a table-flipping game, and a display of a Midget three-wheeler with a view of the Nagaragawa Railway.source
- The spilled ice cream phone stand is billed as the first food sample session of its kind in Japan and the world, simple enough for children, and it comes in four colors: vanilla, strawberry, chocolate, and matcha.source
- The sweet tart session is among the easier ones on the menu, suited to children and adults alike, and it takes less time to make.source
- In the sushi phone and pen stand session, you press the rice for the base and pick one topping: tuna, salmon, fatty tuna, or shrimp nigiri, or salmon roe or sea urchin gunkan.source
- The tempura and lettuce session pours melted wax into hot water to shape pieces that look like the real thing, and you choose three ingredients.source
- A sales corner near the entrance carries food sample goods such as keychains and magnets.source
- On TABITABI, run by the Gujo tourism federation, a nursing room is marked as not available.source
- In the same list of services, a diaper changing table is marked as not available.source
- In the same list of services, a wheelchair-accessible restroom is marked as not available.source
- In the same list of services, priority parking is marked as not available.source
- In the same list of services, foreign-language menus and foreign-language service in English, Chinese, Cantonese, and Korean are all marked as not available.source
- In the same list of services, the only pet entry marked as available is with a carrier, and the notes ask that a pet be held or kept in a bag.source
- In the same list of services, Visa, Mastercard, JCB, and electronic payment are marked as accepted, while Amex, Diners Club, and UnionPay are marked as not accepted.source
- The facility details on Jalan's activity page state that outside food is not allowed.source
- The same details state that there is a restroom, located inside the paid area.source
- The same details state that there is a shop, and no changing room, no shower, and no rental gear.source
With kidsThe part that matters
Most of the plastic meals in Japanese restaurant windows came out of this town, and the ones on display here, going back to the 1950s, are yours to pick up and photograph.
Kids can make a phone stand shaped like spilled ice cream — vanilla, strawberry, chocolate, or matcha — in about 20 to 30 minutes, and the session fee includes museum admission, so there is nothing more to pay at the door.
The sweet tart has a price for children below school age, while the tempura session works with hot wax, starts at elementary school age, and is the one session held in a separate space, so a little one is better matched with the tart.
It is all indoors in a 150-year-old townhouse, which makes it a rainy-day stop, but no nursing room and no changing table are listed, so change the baby before you go in and nobody has to step out mid-session. There is no parking lot of its own, so drivers use a city lot nearby.
Sources and evidence (1)
- A review from a visit at the end of March 2026 describes a parent and child doing the tempura and lettuce session together, just the two of them.source
By age0-1 / 2-3 / 4-6
- Ages 0-1It is inside a 150-year-old townhouse, so the rain stays off you. The food samples and toys on display are there to be picked up and touched, not only looked at. One making session runs 20-30 minutes - short enough to wait through with a baby in your arms, or while an older sibling makes something.The facility list marks nursing room, changing table and kids' space all as not available, and there is no wheelchair-accessible toilet, ramp or elevator. Feed and change before you arrive. The toilet is inside the paid area. There is no parking of its own, so use a nearby municipal or paid lot (20 minutes on foot from Gujo-Hachiman station on the Nagaragawa Railway, 5 minutes by car from the Gujo-Hachiman interchange).
- Ages 2-3The spilled ice cream phone stand is one a preschooler can make alongside a parent (1,100 yen below elementary age), choosing vanilla, strawberry, chocolate or matcha themselves. Making it takes 20-30 minutes. Elsewhere in the house are a penny-candy shop, a table-flipping corner, and the Midget display room that looks out on the Nagaragawa Railway.The sweets tart has a price for children below school age (1,600 yen), while tempura uses hot wax and starts at elementary school. The sweets tart is accepted on the day, but during Golden Week, Obon and three-day weekends no advance booking is taken at all - you sign up at the counter that day (otherwise book through Jalan or by phone, 10:00-16:00). Whoever does a workshop pays no admission; a companion who does not is charged admission, free below elementary age.
- Ages 4-6The sweets-tart memo stand is the least difficult of the workshops and the quickest to make (1,600 yen below elementary age). The sushi phone-and-pen stand has them press the rice into a shari and pick one topping: tuna, salmon, fatty tuna or shrimp nigiri, or ikura or uni gunkan. There is also a hunt, Sagashite Miyou, for nostalgic characters hidden around the house, with a beginner level to start on and hints published officially.The tempura-and-lettuce workshop uses molten wax and is for elementary age and up; kindergarten and nursery children cannot do it even with a parent beside them - come back once they are in elementary school. It must be booked, is held in a separate room from the other workshops, and cannot always be added on the day. A second workshop can be added at a reduced rate (cup ice cream 1,100 yen, sweets tart 1,600 yen and so on, individuals only).
By weatherRain, heat, cold
- Rainy dayBoth the displays and the making sessions are inside a 150-year-old townhouse, divided into the Sample Shokudo, the first-floor exhibit room, a candy shop, an enamel-sign passage, the workshop room, a table-flipping corner, and the Midget display room.
- Hot dayNot checked yet
- Cold dayNot checked yet
Time needed20–30 min
How was it with your kids?
Not greatGreat
Family checks✓ easy for your family
- ElevatorElevator：none
- Stroller OKStroller friendly：not checked
- RentalStroller rental：not checked
- NursingNursing space：none
- ChangingDiaper changing table：none
- Family WCFamily restroom：none
- Own foodOutside food allowed：none
- EnglishEnglish support：none
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* Other not checked (2)
Diaper disposal bin, Kids' toilet seat & step stool
Green = we confirmed it. Gray = not checked yet. Gray with a line through = the place does not have it.
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Where it is
956 Hashimotocho, Hachimancho, Gujo-shi, Gifu 501-4227source
Before you go
- The tempura session is for elementary school age and up, at 3,000 yen for general visitors and 2,800 yen for children, with no option below elementary school age, and it needs a reservation.source
- Because the tempura session works with hot wax, children of preschool and daycare age cannot join it, even with a parent alongside.source
- Adding a tempura session on the spot is sometimes not possible, depending on how the bookings stand.source
- For groups of 20 or more, sessions run 1,400 to 2,500 yen for general visitors and 1,200 to 2,300 yen for children, and every one of them requires a reservation.source
- Sessions can be booked through Jalan or by phone between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.; the official site has no booking form.source
More notes (3)
- During Golden Week, the run of holidays from late April into early May, during Obon in mid-August, and on three-day weekends, advance reservations are not taken and you sign up at the counter on the day.source
- Parties of 10 or more should call ahead.source
- Groups of 20 or more book their sample-making session by phone.source
Basics
- Fee：Two ways to pay. If you only look round, admission to the Retro Art Hall is ¥500 for anyone from high school age up, ¥300 for an elementary or junior high school child, free below elementary school age and free for wheelchair users, though a footnote adds that wheelchair users can see only part of the paid area; groups of twenty or more pay ¥400 and ¥200. If you make something, admission is included in the session price and you pay nothing extra — but anyone coming along who does not make something still pays admission. Session prices run in three bands (high school and up / elementary and junior high / under elementary age): spilt ice cream phone stand ¥1,500 / ¥1,300 / ¥1,100; spilt milk bottle stand ¥2,000 / ¥1,800 / ¥1,600; sweet tart memo stand the same; sushi phone-and-pen stand ¥2,400 / ¥2,200 / ¥2,000; tempura ¥3,000 / ¥2,800 and not available below elementary school age. A second piece can be added at a lower rate — ¥1,100 for the ice cream, ¥1,600 for the milk bottle or the tart, ¥2,000 for the sushi, ¥2,600 for the tempura.source
- Hours：Open 10:00-17:00, closed only over the New Year period. It stays open through the Gujo Odori dance season and may extend its hours then. Telephone inquiries are taken 10:00-16:00.source
- Time to allow：20–30 minsource2
- Booking：Four of the five making sessions — the spilt ice cream phone stand, the spilt milk bottle stand, the sweet tart memo stand and the sushi phone-and-pen stand — take walk-ins. The tempura one must be booked ahead, and even then it can be turned down depending on how full the day is. Booking is by telephone (0575-67-1870, 10:00-16:00) or through Jalan; there is no booking form on the official site. The catch for anyone planning around a holiday: during Golden Week, Obon and three-day weekends advance bookings are not taken at all — you apply at the counter on the day. Groups of ten or more should phone; groups of twenty or more book by telephone and pay group rates.source
- Note: the tempura session uses hot wax, so pre-school children cannot take part even with a parent beside them — it is for elementary school age and up. The other four sessions have no stated age limit.source
Basics in detail (31)
Hours and closures
- It is open from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.source
- The only closed days are the New Year holidays.source
- It stays open during the Gujo Odori dance season.source
- Hours are sometimes extended during the Gujo Odori season.source
- Jalan lists hours of 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with possible extensions on Gujo Odori days and closure over the New Year holidays, matching the official site.source
Other
- The main Sample Kobo shop occupies a renovated townhouse 150 years old.source
Getting there
- Cross the Miyagase Bridge over the Yoshida River and walk toward Shinmachi street, and the main Sample Kobo shop comes into view.source
- Gujo Hachiman was laid out as a castle town about 400 years ago, and old streets remain from Honmachi street through to Shinmachi street with its former town hall memorial building; Sample Kobo sits along that walk.source
- TABITABI's access notes give 20 minutes on foot from Gujo-Hachiman Station on the Nagaragawa Railway, or 5 minutes by car from the Gujo-Hachiman interchange.source
- The same details state that there is no parking lot, and that visitors use the nearby municipal or paid lots.source
Fees
- Individual admission to the Retro Art Hall is 500 yen for general visitors, meaning high school age and up.source
- Individual admission to the Retro Art Hall is 300 yen for children, meaning elementary and junior high school students.source
- Admission to the Retro Art Hall is free for children below elementary school age.source
- For groups of 20 or more, admission is 400 yen for general visitors, 200 yen for children, and free below elementary school age.source
- Admission is free for visitors in a wheelchair.source
- Only part of the paid area is open to view, and the fee for a session is the add-on amount shown on the price list.source
- Anyone doing a sample-making session pays no separate admission to the Retro Art Hall, because admission is built into the session fee.source
- Companions who are not making anything do pay admission to the Retro Art Hall.source
- The individual price list covers five projects across three age brackets, general (high school age and up), child (elementary and junior high), and below elementary school age, with admission included.source
- The spilled ice cream phone stand is 1,500 yen for general visitors, 1,300 yen for children, and 1,100 yen below elementary school age, and you can sign up on the day.source
- The spilled milk bottle phone stand is 2,000 yen for general visitors, 1,800 yen for children, and 1,600 yen below elementary school age, and you can sign up on the day.source
- The sweet tart memo stand is 2,000 yen for general visitors, 1,800 yen for children, and 1,600 yen below elementary school age, and you can sign up on the day.source
- The sushi phone and pen stand is 2,400 yen for general visitors, 2,200 yen for children, and 2,000 yen below elementary school age, and you can sign up on the day.source
- A second or later project can be added at a lower add-on price, 1,100 yen for the cup ice cream, 1,600 yen for the milk bottle, 1,600 yen for the sweet tart, 2,000 yen for the sushi, and 2,600 yen for the tempura, for individuals only.source
- With a group, teachers and other accompanying staff pay admission separately, while tour conductors, drivers, and other travel staff get in free.source
- The Retro Art Hall is a paid area, though you can catch a small glimpse of it from the entrance of the Sample Diner.source
Time to allow
Contact
- The address is 956 Hashimoto-cho, Hachiman-cho, Gujo City, Gifu 501-4227, which is Gujo City, not Takayama.
- The phone number is 0575-67-1870, answered from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Once you've decided
evidence & sources (8)
- tabitabigujo.com: Diaper changing table, Nursing space, Family restroom
- Official: Best-fit ages (guide)
- Official: Indoor / outdoor
- jalan.net: Outside food allowed
- Official: main site
Gujo Hachiman's local industry is fake food: a group founded by a man from the town, Takizo Iwasaki, made most of what Japan uses. The workshop sits in a 150-year-old townhouse. Its Retro Art Hall holds samples, toys, appliances and magazines from the 1950s to the 1990s, all of it handleable. Five things can be made. A spilt ice cream phone stand, a milk bottle one, a sweet tart memo stand, sushi, and tempura poured as molten wax into hot water.
| Indoor / outdoor | Indoor | Everything is inside a 150-year-old townhouse — the display floors, the shop and the making room — with a small courtyard in the middle. Rain does not change the visit. | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | samplekobo.com |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best-fit ages (guide)Extra info — guide only | Yes | The tempura session is for elementary school age and up: it uses hot wax, and pre-schoolers cannot take part even with a parent beside them. The other four — spilt ice cream, spilt milk bottle, sweet tart, sushi — carry no stated age limit and are described as easy for children, with the sweet tart called the easiest of the set. Each takes 20 to 30 minutes. | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | samplekobo.com |
| Stroller friendly | Not checked yet | ||||
| Diaper changing table | No | There is no diaper changing table. | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | tabitabigujo.com |
| Nursing space | No | There is no nursing room. | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | tabitabigujo.com |
| Family restroom | No | There is no wheelchair-accessible (multipurpose) restroom. | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | tabitabigujo.com |
| Diaper disposal bin | Not checked yet | ||||
| Kids' toilet seat & step stool | Not checked yet | ||||
| English support | No | There are no foreign-language menus and no service in foreign languages. | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | tabitabigujo.com |
| Outside food allowed | No | Bringing in food is not allowed. | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | jalan.net |
| Elevator | No | There is no elevator or ramp. | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | tabitabigujo.com |
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