Lately I have been on the hunt for miniature food, specifically desserts and pastries. The search for a nice Mother’s Day gift turned into a hunt for adorable miniature food.

Westerners (and other people not knowledgeable about Japanese terms) have this habit of calling every Japanese food sushi even though it isn’t just a sushi. Probably because it’s easier to memorize. Sushi. Compare that to onigiri, sashimi, maki, donburi, gyoza, katsudon, tonkatsu, sukiyaki, and kara-age. A bit confusing and hard to memorize, yes? Especially for those who do not eat Japanese food regularly.

Sushi is a general term for a Japanese dish that uses rice seasoned with sushi vinegar. There are many kinds of sushi, such as nigiri, chirashi, and temaki. Wasabi is a favorite companion to sushi vinegar, but I think it tastes better with sashimi, or thinly sliced raw fish. See, not every Japanese food is a sushi.

Still the Japanese bento is a very popular model for toy food, whether or not it contains a kind of sushi or some other Japanese specialty. Next to miniature desserts I love miniature Japanese food sets including cup noodles and milk boxes. I have rounded up these adorable “sushi” sets for the sushi and bento lovers:

a MELISSA & DOUG Wooden Sushi Slicing Playset AU$39.00

b JANOD Play Food Sushi Box AU$34.95

c Tidbits Finger Food Play Set $19.95

d SPARKLE T 6-Piece Sushi Set AU$21.95