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Cup Noodles Museum Yokohama

Florian Buechting Museums & Exhibitions No Comments

Cup Noodles Museum

500 JPY
Cup Noodles Museum
3.9

Rating

 3.9/5

Flyctory.com Pros

  • Very interesting topic
  • Make Your Own Cup Noodles
  • Good Food Court

Flyctory.com Cons

  • Museum part rather average.

You might not know the company Nissin Foods founded in Osaka and nowadays still based there (and in Tokyo). However, I am sure that you know one of their key produces. Momofuku Ando invented the instant ramen in 1958 – a meal, which revolutionized the Japanese and global nutrition. There are several museums in Japan which are praising the product. During our visit in September and October 2023, we vixited the Cup Noodles Museum in Yokohama.

 

 

Cup Noodles Museum – Location & Admission

The museum is located at the district of Shinko close to the harbor and the cruise port. The area around is really beautiful and features several other attractions, like the Yokohama Cosmo World amusement park with the Cosmo Clock 21 Ferris Wheel or the Yokohama Air Cabin cable car. You can either use that cable car, which is departing right from Sakuragicho station (or simply have a short walk from there) or take the Minatomirai Line to Minatomirai station (the subway train is also linked to Yokohama Main Station).

Cup Noodles Museum Yokohama opens daily apart from Tuesdays, from 10:00 to 18:00. Admission is 500 JPY, roughly 3 EUR. Some additional parts of the museum require an extra fee (see below). I would suggest 40 minutes to an hour for the museum itself, plus 45 minutes each if you want to create own cup noodles or enjoy the picturesque food court.

 

Cup Noodles Museum – General Exhibitions

The museum is documented in Japanese as well as in English, so that you get around easily, You may also use the museum’s app for additional information. The main exhibition space is on the second floor (with first floor being the ground floor). The first room you typically visit is named the Instant Noodles History Cube. The walls of the entire room feature shelves with different kinds of Cup Noodles through the ages. It gives you a good idea about the nutritional, but also cultural importance of the convenience food product. You intensify this feeling in the Momofuku Theater, where you learn a bit about why and how Ando invented the noodle dish. Of course, there is also quite some marketing added to the rather nice film.

Exiting the theater, you may explore a replica of the original shed in which instant ramen has been developed. In later parts of your visit, you learn about the growing importance of the product – including how massively frequently they are indeed sold and consumed. If you finally agree that the invention of the airplane is on the same level like the Ando’s food revolution rather feels like a matter of taste than a matter of fact.

Hidden Gem: the Balcony

Especially on a sunny day, you should have a look from the balcony of the museum. You have a lovely view of Yokohama Harbor.

 

Cup Noodles Museum – Create Your Own Food

What would a Cup Noodles Museum be without creating your own one. For an additional 500 JPY, you first create your own cup design with colored pens, before you can choose of different basis and ingredients. When you finally boil the noodles at home, you do feel that there is something missing – but it is fun and somehow a cool souvenir. This part of the museum is also extremely well organized and thus very relaxed.

Alternatively (and with significantly less capacity), you can also have a visit at the Chicken Ramen Factory (adults: 1000 JPY).

 

Cup Noodles Museum – Services

A lovely place to visit on top of the museum is the World Noodles Road, a food court-alike place which offers noodle dishes from al over the world. The half-size bowl meals are great tasters or a nice snack during your visit in Yokohama. There are also corresponding desserts from some f the countries represented like Italy, Vietnam, Korea or China. While my wife had Pad Thai from Indonesia, I tried Kazach noodles. Both were fine and the price (500 JPY) for one dish is definitely worth the experience.

Another attraction very popular among the young visitors (also as the parents pay the additional charge…) is the Cup Noodles inspired playground. Close to the entrance, there is also a souvenir store, which features a nice range of edible memories as well as cute things to take home.

 

Cup Noodles Museum – My View

Not only because the area as such is really nice, the Cup Noodles Museum is worth a visit. It is a bit of obscure maybe to European visitors, but the presentation is nice and the food court is also a memorable experience. However, you need to include the extra parts of the museum as well – the museum itself is nice, but definitely not a reason by itself to go for the visit.

 

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