I sent the above pic to a couple of people the other day and it got quite a reaction, so here’s a whole entry of impressive cake photos.

When I took the photo I asked the girl which one was best and she indicated the two above. These cakes – each not much larger than a cupcake – are astonishingly detailed and I wonder what’s inside. If KLS was here I’d buy one and she could eat it 🙂

The first shot was taken in Osaka and when I went to a display from the same company (bakery?) in Tokyo yesterday their display was a little different, although in the same style. The cup/spoon one is interesting. Since it’s all edible I wonder if you can use the spoon to eat the cake?

A nearby display had these, which looked almost liquid and glistened like oil. I have no idea how the effect was achieved but it was very eye-catching.

Here’s some apple cakes from a different baker. Once again these are cupcake sized – smaller than a real apple. I recall Kristin got one of these once. They’re so shiny and reflective in the display case it seems a waste to eat them!

Nearby another baker did green apples in the same style as above only with even more accuracy (note the stalk and leaf). As mind bogglingly impressive as they are, the transparent material on the melon cake next to it caught my eye…

These were in the same case. I believe it is representing a plum with ice frozen over it. If you look next to the cakes on the left you can see the cross-section, so it’s a small cubic cake with a layer of frosting (!) on top the has incredible detail, such as the transparency of the ‘ice’ layer. As I was photographing this I looked further along in the case and my mind was blown:

These are cakes. Completely edible. Here’s a closeup:

Even up close it looks like a velvet store display for jewelry. And the necklace is so realistic! I asked the girl if the necklace was edible and she laughed and said it was ‘crystal gummy’! A gummy necklace!

All these photos were taken in the dessert levels of department stores in Tokyo and Osaka. These are very prestigious food halls in very prestigious stores that cater to tens of millions of potential customers in a country where presentation is extremely important. My point is you don’t find anything like this in your typical bakery over here, which makes them all the more special.