Japan not only loves the iPad, it also finds creative ways to use it. Now Sharp (of all companies) is testing a self-ordering system for Izakaya, Japanese-style restaurants, that’s based on the device. The idea is to do away with the usual hardcopy menus and make it possible for customers to choose and directly order what they like through an iPad.

Sharp hopes that a general-purpose device like the iPad can boost the number of orders as they are more fun to use. The background is that a number of Izakayas (and other restaurants) in Japan have been offering touch screens for customers to choose and order items for years now (meaning the general concept isn’t new).

Here’s a video, shot by DigInfoNews in Tokyo, that shows how the Sharp/iPad system works (needless to say, pictures on the “virtual menu” can be enlarged by pinching):