Other attraction in Yokohama that I want to go is the museum of my best friend when I don’t have enough money before payday. It’s instant noodles.
CUPNOODLES Museum is the museum about instant noodles created by Nissin. It’s very easy to go. Just 5 minutes on foot from Minato Mirai station.
Cup Noodle lamp made from paper.
The admission for adult is 500 yen. If you want to join its activities like create your Cup Noodles or learn how to make instant noodle, you have to pay seperately.
For non-Japanese. It’s a good idea to borrow the audio guide for 2,000 yen which will be return when you return the audio guide.
Hiyoko-chan, the mascot of Chicken Ramen. The first Nissin product and the world’s first instant noodles.
The first room on the 2nd floor is Instant Noodles History Cube where all Nissin products from the past until now are shown. Products from Nissin in other countries and other companies are also shown here.
Second room is Momofuku Theater. It screens shot film about the history of Momofuku Ando who is Nissin founder and instant noodle inventor. The language is Japanese but audio guide is available before enter the theater. (Not the same one you got from the counter downstairs.)
The replica of Momofuku’s work shed. You can see Ando-san used simple tools to research about the instant noodle.
He discovered the way to preserve the noodle by fry it in hot oil. His invention turned into Chicken Ramen (or Chikin Ramen in Japanese) the world’s first instant noodle.
Next room is The Momofuku Ando Story. Not only you will learn about his life and his invention. You will also learn his key ideas.
In the first section. You will see the objects on the wall. When you walk them, the video will be projected on the wall. Telling ideas that inspired to invent these objects.
This is the first Ando-san’s key idea. “Discover something completely new.”
Next section is the story of Ando-san printed on the wall. Each topic has the number that you can input to audio guide to listen it in English.
Some topics have the box symbol with number. It’s the number of Creative Thinking Box that contain the key ideas of Momofuku-san.
Each key idea will has the attraction like “Nurturing an idea” that is the forest model with movable light. The explanation is the knowledge should be given to others. So we can be stronger together like the forest vs the alone big tree.
Ando-san asked other instant food companies to form the instant food association. So they can share the knowledge and set the standard for instant food. One of its works is printing the expiration date on the package.
This Cup Noodles statue is for “Look at things from every angle” key idea. This key idea made Ando-san to realize the solution for putting the noodle in a cup.
The room that its floor is slope can create the illusion which the people on the right side are larger than the left side. It’s for the key idea “Don’t just go with status quo.”
This key idea came from when Ando-san created Cup Noodles that is based on how Americans cooking and eating instant noodle by put it in the cup and eat with fork. However Japaneses eat it in bowl with chopsticks.
So when Nissin began selling it in Ginza. It’s very popular and looks cool in its time.
The last key idea is “Never give up!” Although Ando-san was in his ninety. He could still invent the Space Ramen for eating in the ISS.
Space Ramen uses the same method as Chicken Ramen to preserve the noodle. The taste is also 10 times stronger than normal instant noodle because astronauts’ taste aren’t good when in the space.
The last section is Momofuku Ando statue and his determination writing he wrote every years.
That’s all of exhibition part. It’s the time to move to the upstairs.