I’ve come across many food “attractions” in Japan. One of those, is the CupNoodles Museum, or as Yokohama’s Official Visitor Guide calls it “an interactive food education facility”. The first time I heard about the CupNoodles Museum, I had to see for myself. A whole place dedicated to instant ramen?! How is that even possible? Not only that but you can make your own Cup Noodles!
I’ve been more times than I can count, definitely a good addition to a day trip to Yokohama. There is also one in Ikeda City in Osaka Prefecture, the birth place of instant ramen! Great for taking visitors if you live in Japan.
History of CupNoodles
Momofuku Ando was definitely a man of resilience. He had many ideas and inventions over the years, successes and out right failures. His biggest claim to fame and what stuck was that he’s the inventor of instant ramen. In 1958, a ramen you could just add hot water to became an instant success. You probably know the block iteration everyone jokes that college kids live off.
It wasn’t until after a visit to America that he came up with the idea for CupNoodles. Yes, us silly American’s had no idea how to eat ramen so the managers broke them up and put them in a cup. Voila, the idea for CupNoodles! In 1971, this creation spread instant ramen to the rest of the world.
CupNoodles Museum Yokohama
The museum starts with a display of EVERY CupNoodles product from the very beginning (including the block ones!). This fills an entire room and makes you want to add eating all the different flavors to your list of life goals.
After getting all hungry you move on to “Momofuku Theater” where you watch a cute video “hosted” by a cartoon version of Momofuku Ando. Don’t worry, there are headsets in multiple languages so you can follow along. It’s a very motivational video with a great message of “don’t give up!” and “think outside the box!”.
Figuring out how to get the noodles correctly in the cup was a challenge and he eventually figured out to put the cup over the noodles instead of the other way around. There’s a lot of art to showcase this as you continue on the 2nd floor.
The 2nd floor acts as the museum complete with art and a timeline. If you didn’t get enough information out of the film, there is plenty of additional information here for you.
My CupNoodles Factory: Make your own!
Head upstairs to the third floor and you can make your very own specialized CupNoodles! Don’t be surprised when this turns out to be the best CupNoodles you’ve ever had. I don’t know if its because they are so fresh or it’s just because you make your own combination, but it’s amazing. Don’t just leave these as display — eat them! While I much prefer a great bowl of Tonkotsu Ramen, this is the best instant ramen I’ve ever had. Side note: The Cupnoodles in Japan overall are much better tasting than the ones in the US.
First things first, create your own artwork on the styrofoam cup. The one on the very right is mine. The date not only commemorates your visit but also as these were made fresh (they do make every effort to sterilize, etc.), you want to eat them within a month.
Next step, you see how the noodles get perfectly in the cups. Remember I said that was an issue early in production? You add them yourself by a hand crank.
Add your broth flavor (original, seafood, curry or tomato) and up to four different toppings. Toppings range from different dehydrated vegetables, meats, seafood and spices like garlic.
Finally, you see how the packaging works, seal the top and saran wrap the cup. Don’t forget to place your cup in an air bubble to show case it off while you ride the train or walk around Yokohama. This also keeps it protected.
CupNoodle Museum: Other things to do
Head to the fourth floor for what they call the “Noodle Bazaar” where you can try different noodle dishes from around the world. It reminds me a lot of the Ramen Museum, also in Yokohama, without the Disneyland-esque styling.
Want to try a few? They offer two size bowls. For the kids, there’s “CupNoodle Park” which is a play ground to run off some of those carbs! There is also a gift shop on the ground level to buy all your Cupnoodles paraphernalia.
There is also an offering to make your own noodles. From scratch. Pretty sure this is only offered in Japanese and I’m honestly not sure how to get in on it but is something I’d like to do in the future.
Getting Here
The museum is open from 1000-1800 most days of the year. Admission is 500 yen for entry. If you would like to make your own in the My CupNoodles Factory (do it!), you’ll sign up for a time when you get your admission tickets. Each cup is 300 yen and you pay for that at the attraction.
Pin this for later
