Some fun facts about instant noodles

The father of the legendary instant noodles is Ando Momofuku, who is also the founder of Nissin Food Products Co., Ltd (1910-2007).

The Cup Noodles Museum in Yokohama is the second cup noodles museum and was established after the first Cup Noodles Museum in Osaka to honor Mr. Ando's contributions to the Japanese food industry.

Opening time: 10:00 - 18:00 (last visitors entering at 17:00)

Entrance ticket: 500 yen (for entrance only, not including the fee for participating in other activities such as: making noodles, entering the amusement park, etc.)

Visiting the Yokohama Cup Noodles Museum

The Yokohama Cup Noodles Museum has five floors, each of which has extremely exciting activities that leave strong impressions on me. I came here at the end of autumn, so there were many visitors. I remember that though I tried to arrive early, it took me 45 minutes in line to buy the ticket.

Being amazed at the room full of instant noodles of all kinds

When stepping onto the 2nd floor, I was surprised by and excited to see the room displaying instant noodles through the ages. This place is like a movie that quickly shows the development of instant noodles, from the introduction of Chicken Ramen in 1958 to the noodles on sale today.

Momofuku Theater

After visiting the noodles-displaying room, I continued to explore the next room - the Momofuku Theater. Here, short CG animation clips which are about 15 minutes long will be shown to briefly introduce the history of instant noodles to visitors.

Next, I followed the instruction to the model of Mr. Ando's small house - where Chicken Ramen, the first instant noodles in the world came to life.

Next, one area that I also really like is the Creative Thinking Box. This exhibition area helps visitors feel the uniqueness of Mr. Andō Momofuku's creative ideas.

The area introducing the life of Mr. Ando Momofuku

The Creative Thinking Box area was followed by the area introducing Mr. Ando Momofuku's life through historical photos and detailed captions on the wall.

I saw many people skipping this area because they don't want to bother themselves with... reading. Still, I believe that the information, along with the illustrations, will make you extremely excited ^^ The life of Mr. Ando taught me a lot of precious lessons about his spirit of effort, his fearlessness in overcoming difficulties, and his courage to challenge new things.

Enjoying creating my first cup of instant noodles at My Cupnoodles Factory 

This is the part that everyone is waiting for ^^ At My Cupnoodles Factory, I could create a noodles cup in my own style. First, I bought 1 cup of noodles from the vending machine for the price of 400 yen/cup.

Next, I was instructed to wrap the mouth of the cup up as well as wash my hands carefully to ensure hygiene. After that, my siblings and I walked to the cup-decorating area. There were many coloring markers available on the table for us to design and draw on the cup. The staff was also very cheerful and willing to guide us.

After decorating my cup, I came to the noodles-packing area. There were 12 ingredients, 4 soup bases, and many toppings but I could only pick up to 4 toppings, so it took me five minutes to just stand there and decide which one to choose ^^

On a chilly autumn day, what can compare with having a hot cup of noodles that is totally made by you ^^ The chewy noodles, the sour and spicy soup, and the taste from various toppings are the perfect treat when you get tired after going around.

Experiencing making noodles at the Chicken Ramen Factory

Besides, there is Chicken Ramen Factory on the 3rd floor - where you can also experience making Chicken Ramen by hand at all stages.

I was provided with all the ingredients and wholeheartedly instructed by the skilled staff here. I tried kneading the flour, cutting the flour into noodles, blanch the noodles, etc by myself to the noodles-drying process.

It was absolutely fascinating, I don't know much about cooking, but after finishing, I felt like a professional chef ^^

Price: Adult: 800 yen; Primary students: 500 yen

Time: 10:15 - 17:45

Expriencing time: 90 minutes

A long day seemed to pass by so fast and I had a great time here. If you love instant noodles and want to know more about this convenient dish, I am certain that the Cup Noodles Museum Yokohama would be a perfect choice for you ^^