Samples of ‘Nagoya Meshi,’ Sushi Rotating on Carousel at Chubu Airport to Inspire Travelers to Eat Local Delicacies

The Yomiuri Shimbun

15:30 JST, January 14, 2024

NAGOYA — Two types of food samples — the local delicacy “Nagoya meshi” and a sushi variety — make the rounds alongside passengers’ suitcases on a baggage carousel for domestic flights at Chubu Centrair International Airport.

The Nagoya meshi sample contains Taiwan ramen, a miso katsu pork cutlet, chicken wings, hitsu-mabushi eel rice bowl and large deep-fried shrimps. The sushi sample includes various nigiri sushi of salmon, tuna and other marine products as well as whole bodies of salmon and squid, a tuna head and other sushi ingredients. Both samples are placed on trays shaped like large suitcases at Terminal 1 in the airport. Young employees of Sample Kobo, which has a store at the terminal, have created the samples using resin and painting with oil colors.

Because the samples are larger than usual and rotate on a carousel, the company devised a way to make them light and stick securely to the trays. Eventually, the Gifu Prefecture-based company hopes to add samples of other local delicacies from the Chubu region, such as ayu sweetfish from Gujo, which is considered the hometown of food samples.

“We hope people will chuckle while waiting for their baggage,” said an official of the airport company that had planned the sample display on the carousel. “The actual edible versions of the samples are available at restaurants at the airport.”