Sometimes the best experiences are the ones you don’t plan. Early after arriving in Japan, and still pretty jet-lagged, my family and I met up with some friends back home who happened to be in Japan too. We spent the day in Yokohama, which is a large port city in Japan that has a long history as a port of call for Western traders (hence it has a more western look than the rest of Japan). First we went to the Aka-Renga Sōko (lit. “red brick warehouse”), a famous historical building now turned into a small shopping mall. However, there wasn’t much there for kids, so we wandered around Yokohama a bit. Then we stumbled on this:

This is the Cup Noodles Museum, dedicated to the famous product. The museum, sponsored by Nissin, covers the invention of Cup Ramen Noodles (カップ麺, kappu-men in Japanese) by Andō Momofuku (1910-2007) and its growth ever since. As a poor kid growing up with a single mom, we relied on instant noodles frequently, and later in high school/college I ate them while on a limited budget. So, it’s no exaggeration to say instant noodles have been a part of my life.

I knew a little bit about Andō Momofuku, a Taiwanese man who grew up when Taiwan was part of the Empire of Japan and started a business in Japan later in life. I even watched a drama about him and his wife in Japanese (with my wife). Andō Momofuku was a fascinating man who had a strong business sense, but also a commitment to his ideals. His efforts to invent freeze-dried instant noodles took years, and there was no precedent for it before, but finally he succeeded.

Anyhow, the museum isn’t very big, but it’s a great way to spend half a day or so. There are plenty of English services, and it’s pretty easy to following along. One room shows a timeline of cup noodle products over the years:

Further, there’s an optional feature at the Museum that lets you design your own ramen. You have to pay a bit extra, but you get a cup that you can decorate, then you choose your flavors, addons, etc. As someone who grew up with instant ramen, I drew the following:

And on the side, I tried to write a short message on the cup. It was meant to say 安藤百福、ありがとう！ (“thank you, Andō Momofuku”).

For my ramen flavor, I picked curry flavor with some corn, green beans and dried meat. When done, they seal it for you, and you can carry it inside of an inflatable bag. Since you have to eat within a month, I finished it before coming back to the US. The curry flavor was delicious.

While there I picked up various goods in the gift shop, including a manga (Japanese only) about the life of Andō Momofuku:

It’s been a pretty good read so far, and shows how he was a sharp businessman even before he moved to Japan.

Anyhow, I highly recommend the museum if you’ve ever enjoyed instant noodles. While not very large, it has lots of neat features in it, and helps you appreciate the man who started it all. 🍜