· By Anonymous Noodle Guide
Cup Noodle Museum: A Noodle Lover's Guide
We can’t sing the praises of Cup Noodle anymore than we already have. After our blog about the history of this iconic product’s history and iconic flavors, what else is there to talk about? Well, the Cup Noodle Museum of course.
The Cup Noodle Museum is an awesome experience for both Japanese locals and international tourists with even the slightest interest or love for the iconic Cup Noodle product. Let’s learn all about the amazing attractions offered at this unique museum.
History of Momofuku Ando
In our blog about Cup Noodle, we gave a quick overview of Momofuku Ando and how his company Nissin, the instant noodle, and the cup ramen all came to be. So we won’t bore you with it again here. That being said, nothing beats actually seeing and experiencing the way this museum lays out the information in fun and easy ways.
As much as we love the noodles, these museums are really about Momofuku Ando's legacy. That's why his statue stands outside of each location!
Momofuku Theater
Called the Momofuku Theater in Yokohama and the Cup Noodle Drama Theater in Osaka, both locations have a theater-style way of showing the history of Momofuku Ando and Cup Noodle. However, there are slight differences.
The Yokohama version of the theater uses CGI to show Ando’s story. The Osaka version is a bit more interactive and has large-screen visuals instead. Either way, both are a fun way to learn the history of this iconic individual and his invention.
Momofuku Work Shed
The Cup Noodle Museum went to great lengths to recreate the actual work shed where Ando created his invention. This is your chance to be transported to the year 1958 and see where Ando worked. It’s a really cool experience that we totally recommend.
The Momofuku Ando Story Panorama
If you want more details about Ando’s story, this panorama is a great way to take in all of the information at your own pace. With plenty of graphics and a chronological flow, it’s easy to understand and super interesting. It’s a perfect way to fill in or clear up any gaps from the theater experiences.
Make-Your-Own Cup Ramen Experience
This is one of our original cups from our experience, with a chili tomato base and cheese, garlic chips, green onion and corn as toppings.
When you ask people about the Cup Noodle Museum, many people will instantly bring up the My Cup Noodle Factory. That’s because this is an amazing opportunity to make an original cup of ramen.
You get to make an original design, choose one of four soup bases, and choose your favorite of 12 toppings. They say there are up to 5460 flavor combinations available. You may need to make a reservation before you go, but it's totally worth it as you’ll get 45 minutes total to complete your cup.
Check out our My Cup Noodle experience from out Instagram reel below!
Chicken Ramen Factory
This is a very popular experience, with many days selling out very quickly and well in advance. In this experience, you get to make the original Chikin Ramen (Chicken Ramen) instant noodles from step one. Before doing Nissin’s signature flash-frying method, you get to knead, spread, and steam the noodles by hand.
Then, you even get to take your noodles home to enjoy as instant noodles later. This activity takes about 90 minutes, so there are only eight sessions per day. That means that you have to make time to do it, but it’s totally worth it.
Can't make it out to Japan for your own ramen adventure? Check out Nakama Noodles! Nakama Noodles curates and sends Japanese ramen, udon and soba, including limited-edition and regional flavors, right to your door every month straight from Japan!
Cup Noodle Museum Yokohama vs Osaka
As you may have been able to tell, the Cup Noodle Museum offers different attractions based on which location you go to. Let’s check out the differences between each one.
Yokohama
Cup Noodle Park
This attraction is for your little ones of elementary school age and taller than 90cm. The Cup Noodle Park is a cool standout feature for kids who visit the Yokohama location. This attraction lets children experience what it’s like to be a noodle in the manufacturing process.
They’ll go from the creation process all the way to shipping, so they’ll be one smart noodle when they finish the process.
Instant Noodles Cube
Okay, it’s a little weird to say that this is a Yokohama-exclusive, but you’ll see why it’s here when you check out the Osaka location. This section shows off how ramen evolved from the original instant Chicken Ramen all the way to what it is today, all with ramen. Here, you’ll see 3000 packages of ramen showing the progression to the current Cup Noodle lineup.
Noodles Bazaar
This Yokohama-exclusive location has plenty of noodle dishes from around the world as well as Cup Noodle ice cream! Image via Instagram (@day_honey)
Now, THIS is the true standout for the Yokohama location. Momofuku Ando was a true noodle enthusiast and went on a journey to find the origin of noodles. This attraction features eight types of noodles from around the world that Ando encountered.
While enjoying the Asian night market vibe, you can get a half-bowl of noodles from each shop for 500 yen (less than $5). They also have international desserts, juices, and mini-chicken ramen that you can enjoy too. Truly, a perfect experience for noodle lovers.
Osaka
Magical Table
Ready for a pop quiz? The Magical Table is a quiz-taking spot. With different styles of quiz questions, you have the chance to deepen your understanding of Cup Noodle. Supposedly, if you can get four out of the five right, you get a prize. Wonder what it could be.
Instant Noodle Exhibition
This exhibit is a cool and colorful showcase of Nissin’s instant and cup noodles. What makes it more than just a product showcase is that these products are organized by consumption figures for the various countries where their products are sold. This creates the perfect chance to see other countries’ exclusive flavors and what’s popular overseas.
Instant Noodle Tunnel
This is the Osaka version of the Instant Noodle Cube. The Instant Noodle Tunnel, however, is a bit more aesthetic in an Instagram sense, with the tunnel showing over 800 packages arranged from one side of the tunnel to the other, both on the sides and on the ceiling of the tunnel. It really is a very cool photo opportunity while also checking out rare flavors from the past and current flavors.
The Noodle Tunnel also tells you about all of the product lines and features limited edition collab designs like Kingdom Hearts and Gundam! Image via Instagram (@_yutaponpon1004)
Tasting Room
While the Noodles Bazaar is a great way to experience international noodles, the Tasting Room at the Osaka location lets people experience Japanese noodles. This room is full of vending machines so you can buy and try different flavors. The offerings here feature options that you wouldn’t usually be able to find in Osaka and are only sold in certain areas of Japan.
Museum Shop
We have to give a quick shoutout to the shop at the Cup Noodle Museum. It’s full of original Cup Noodle merch, but the real reason it stands out is that you can find items only sold at these two shops. There are even location-exclusive items only available at the Yokohama location or the Osaka location.
We love the Cup Noodle Museum and all its offerings at both locations. It can take up some time if you do both the original cup and chicken ramen factory experiences, but it’s well worth the time!
What activities would you do if you went to the Cup Noodle Museum? If you’ve gone before, what was your favorite part? Let us know in the comments!