Photo via Flickr user verygreen
As we're sure any self-respecting Norseman is aware, there's simply no better way to immortalize something than to set it aflame, in the most spectacular of ways. That said, we here at MUNCHIES are far more interested in celebrating the nuances of oden or chawanmushi then an actual Viking king—no digs intended to any endeavoring pillagers out there.Thankfully, one Japanese candle maker based out of Tokyo has just created a line of candles designed to stand in for some of our favorite Japanese foods.Naooo3 House—which is a play on the Japanese word for three and is pronounced "Nao-san House"—has filled a heretofore shocking gap in the candle market. Now online, the candles are available in the shape of onigiri rice balls, dumplings, and a bowl of curry and rice. Then there's oden, creampan (a type of cream-filled bread) and even tonkatsu in its very own bodega-style takeout plastic container.Erasers, magnets, USB drives, even ear picks—they can all found in the shape of food in Japan. So why not candles? How kawaii can your miserable life get?Japan happens to have a bit of a love relationship with things that happen to look identical to food items. Sampuru—the art of making model replicas of dishes to display in restaurant windows—is a massive industry throughout the island nation and has been around for close to a century. All good sampuru works are custom made and can sell for upwards of $600. The sampuru industry is estimated to see yearly revenue of $60 million to $90 million.Just be sure to hide the candles when your drunken roommate comes back from a night of carousing. The combination of wax and wick can be hellish on the digestive tract.
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