Cup Noodles Museum Osaka Ikeda

Posted on May 2, 2019 by missuschewy

I’m a hugeeeee fan of cup noodles and instant noodles although these are not the healthiest food options around. I love the convenience they bring and all the interesting flavors that are constantly being developed over the years. With that, I decided to include Cup Noodles Museum in Osaka Ikeda in our Japan itinerary.

It is also known as Momofuku Ando Instant Ramen Museum, named after the person who invented the world’s first instant noodles, “Chicken Ramen,” after an entire year of research using common tools in a little shed he had built in his backyard in Ikeda-city, Osaka Prefecture.

Momofuku Ando, the Father of Instant Ramen, invented the chicken ramen in 1958 and dedicated his entire life to thinking about food in new and creative ways. Throughout his 96 years, he practised creative thinking and never quit until he achieved his goal. As a result, people from all over the world is still benefiting from his achievements today.

Admission to Cup Noodles Musuem Osaka Ikeda is free of charge but fees apply for attractions like the Chicken Ramen Factory and Cup Noodles Factory.

I bet you will be able to find all your favorite instant noodle here in this vast museum!

I already spotted my favorite Seafood and also Tom Yam Seafood cup noodles!

Due to time constraints, we only picked the My Cup Noodles Factory activity.

A sample of how the final product will look like.

In exchange for 300 yen at a vending machine, you will get this My Cup Noodles Factory cup and you can start decorating or coloring it in any way you wish using the markers provided.

As Littlemisschewy was still napping in the stroller, only Minimisschewy joined us in the activity. Well, I did most of the drawing and coloring. As I’m not artistic, my “artwork” is very simple and minimalist!

When we were done decorating our cup, we joined the queue to pick out the ingredients for our cup noodles. If you are not planning to eat the cup noodles, then whatever ingredients that go into the cup would not really matter.

How thoughtful! Since most visitors are travellers, the museum has prepared a bag which you can store your cup noodles and then inflate it like an air bag, thereby protecting your cup noodles from damage.

There’s also a string, which makes it very convenient to carry around.

Littlemisschewy woke up from the nap and totally missed the activity, so here’s a photo of her with the final masterpiece.

There are interesting exhibits in the museum, so it’s best to dedicate at least two hours if you are planning to pay a visit.

There is also a drama theatre but I think it’s all in Japanese language.

There is a small shop selling all sorts of souvenirs that you can buy for that friend who also loves cup noodles. I got myself some miniature cup noodle magnets, and trust me, they are the cutest!

Going to Japan soon? Follow our updates on our Japan 2018 trip or read our popular Japan trip itinerary!

Cup Noodles Museum Osaka Ikeda

8-25 Masumi-cho, Ikeda-shi, Osaka 563-0041 Japan

(Reception time 9:00 – 16:30 museum holidays excluded)

Non-Business Days: Tuesday (in case Tuesday is a National Holiday, the following day will be a non-business day), Year-end through New Year Holidays

Mari Mari Cultural Village Kota Kinabalu

Posted on July 20, 2018 by missuschewy

We travel for a myriad of reasons. Apart from travelling as a form of escapism and to rejuvenate ourselves, we also seek to gain knowledge that you cannot get just by reading books. During our recent trip to Sabah, a visit to Mari Mari Cultural Village provided us with the opportunity to see and experience for ourselves, the culture and lifestyle of how the indigenous ethnic groups of Borneo used to live in the olden days when electricity had not yet been introduced in their land. Mari Mari Cultural Village is situated amidst a remote forest setting in Kionsom, Inanam; away from the hustling and bustling Kota Kinabalu city. The village operates as a museum that preserves Borneo ethnic culture with the aim to share knowledge, history, culture, and tradition of Borneo with visitors so that it is not forgotten.

Mari Mari Cultural Village features 5 different ethnic tribes. They are the rice farmer Kadazan-Dusun, the longhouse resident Rungus, the hunters and fisherman Lundayeh, the cowboy and sea gypsey Bajau, and the famously feared headhunting tribe Murut. I find it interesting that the village’s in-house guides are actually descendants of among the 5 tribes in the village.

Our journey began with all of us crossing the wobbly suspension bridge over a small river.

Our in-house guide showed us around each of the different tribe houses to learn about their different lifestyles, cultures, and histories.

Not only did we get to witness how bamboo was used to cook their meals, we even got to taste the food!

Montoku is a traditional alcoholic drink of the Kadazan-Dusun community and I find that it tastes like whisky!

Delicious fresh honey.

All the tribe houses feature something similar like this. The girls would sleep on the upper deck and their fathers would remove the ladders at night.

We were truly amazed that a fire could be started in less than 5 minutes using bamboo! Back then, it was the ladies’ job and we could tell that it is actually physically tiring.

Rope making demonstration.

Little misschewy wanted to bring this “bracelet” home! LOL.

The Murut blow-pipe was a pretty fun experience for all of us. It is a bit like archery except that you use your mouth to hit your target!

Looks easy but it’s not! In the olden days, the blow-pipe was used as a weapon.

The Lansaran is like a traditional trampoline made from bamboo and much to our surprise, it can carry a lot of weight.

More than 10 people jumping on the lansaran? No problem!

After visiting the 5 tribal houses, we proceeded to the event hall to watch the traditional performances.

My favorite was the bamboo dance as I was captivated by how gracefully the dancers step in and out of the bamboo poles.

Little misschewy and I took part in the bamboo dance too. All I can say that it is a lot harder than it looks but it was a fun experience!

During the 2-hour tour around Mari Mari Cultural Village, we felt as though we were transported back in time, as we enriched ourselves in new found knowledge. Being able to participate in some of the activities was indeed an authentic experience that we will never forget. Click here to find out more about the itinerary and price if you are keen!

Mari Mari Cultural Village
Address: Inanam, 88450 Kota Kinabalu,
Sabah, Malaysia
Tel: +60 11-3388 4827

Opening Hours:
Daily
10am – 6pm

Singapore World Water Day: Make Every Drop Count!

Posted on March 16, 2018 by missuschewy

As the finance minister of The Chewys family, I am always scrutinising our water bills and trying to find ways to reduce our household water consumption. After all, we are just a small family of two adults and two toddlers; I doubt we should be using THAT much water.

I decided to find out more at the annual month-long Singapore World Water Day (SWWD) campaign on 3rd March at the Marina Barrage. I was heartened to know that there were many other like-minded Singaporeans who wanted to do their part in helping to save water!

Guest-of-Honour President Halimah Yacob kicked off the SWWD event with a speech.

There were a number of booths run by both volunteers and students. For someone as clueless as me, it was an eye-opening experience learning about the various water-saving habits that one can adopt!

We use the washing machine daily as the sight of dirty clothes piling up in the laundry basket can be quite an eyesore. It is no wonder our water usage is so high! Through the SWWD campaign, I discovered that laundry contributes to one of the top water usage areas in household water consumption and that we should always try to wash our clothes on full load instead of running many small loads of laundry. Every time the washing machine is used, water is consumed, hence it is more efficient to consolidate washes!

I am not so guilty of taking long showers because mothers hardly have a peaceful time in the bathroom. LOL. However, if you have been enjoying your private karaoke sessions during shower time, please remember to not get carried away and stay in the bathroom for a longer time than you should! As a rule of thumb, always limit your shower time to not more than 5 minutes! Also, don’t forget to turn off the water while shampooing your hair and soaping up!

Did you know that if you flush a toilet 4 times a day on full-flush, you use 18 litres of water? Using 2 half-flushes instead will save you 3 litres of water and that’s 2 bottles of water saved! So, always remember to use half-flush when possible!

This might seem like a no-brainer but misterchewy and I haven’t been using a mug when brushing our teeth. We would cup our hands and scoop water directly from the tap when rinsing our mouths. Come to think of it now, this very act wastes water as the tap runs while your hands are away from the faucet. Okay, time to buy couple mugs! Hahaha!

Young children were also educated on water-saving habits through fun and games at the SWWD event. Besides gaining awareness on saving water, it is also important to pledge to do so. SWWD’s Water Conservation Ambassadors will reach out to residents either door-to-door or at SWWD roadshows to encourage the community to take up the “I Save” Pledge, adopt the five water-saving tips and reduce their water consumption.

Make every drop count! Everyone has a part to play in conserving water, in keeping our waterways clean, and in caring for Singapore’s precious water resources. Always remember that a little goes a long way!

Click HERE for the line-up of Singapore World Water Day activities in March! 🙂

RWS S.E.A Aquarium Celebrates SG52!

Posted on August 31, 2017 by missuschewy

Yay! School’s out! Parents who are planning holiday activities for your children, it’s time to include a visit to S.E.A Aquarium at Resorts World Sentosa in your list! To commemorate SG52, two S.E.A. Aquarium Adult One-Day Tickets are going for only $52 now (U.P $68)! That’s like a savings of $16, which you can use to purchase extra snacks or souvenirs! 😀 Our very first visit as a family of four was last Christmas. Cayla was about 4 months old then and she was sleeping soundly in the Tula!

My brother and his gf joined us this time and also helped to take care of the kids! Hehe.

Big fish small fish everywhere! The girls were so distracted by the different fishes swimming around the tank and just wouldn’t look at the camera. Lol.

Chanelle was initially afraid of the sharks and other gigantic fishes but her fear soon turned into fascination!

Love the beautiful marine life. I picked up scuba diving during my undergraduate days with the NUS Dive Club and went on a few dive trips after that. It’s a pity misterchewy doesnt know how to scuba dive! I sure miss diving!

Cayla was hungry so instead of looking for the baby room, I thought it would be easier if I sat in corner to feed her.

Chanelle wanted a photo with”Nemo”! Hahaha many Nemos in fact!

Most visitors like to gather here, in front of the Open Ocean Habitat, for a magnificent view of the various marine life.

We chose to park ourselves at the Ocean Dome before feeding time instead.

You can also check out some art works by children who took part in the Ocean Conservation Art Competition.

Do you know that S.E.A Aquarium has its own mascot? It’s Mai the manta ray! He appears at the Ocean Dome daily at two timings – 2.45pm and 3.45pm! Remember to queue if you want a photograph with Mai!

Currently, there is no published schedule for fish feedings but when we were there, the feeding time was at 4pm.

Another not-to-be-missed highlight is the Discovery Touch Pool! Kids of all ages will love it because they get to touch and feel sea cucumber, starfish, and the like.

At the end of your visit, stop by the souvenir section and pick up some cute merchandise!

Don’t miss out on this wonderful SG52 promo where two adult tickets are only priced at $52, until 30 September 2017! Book your tickets here!

SmartKids Asia: 1-3 July 2016 at Suntec Singapore

Posted on June 24, 2016 by missuschewy

– Advertorial –

Something BIG and EXCITING is happening this July! In celebration of Youth Day, SmartKids Asia, Asia’s largest educational kids’ fair is making a second debut this year! The three-day event promises an extensive line-up of family-themed activities and here’s what you can expect:

Meet and Greet Sessions

Every child’s favourite! Four popular characters – My Little Pony, Robocar Poli, Pororo & friends, and Sylvanian Families will be performing on stage throughout all three days and there are a total of 5 sessions per day!

Goodie Bags Giveaway

SmartKids Asia will be giving away as many as 1500 goodie bags worth more than $30 each! Registrants are to redeem the Goodie Bags on-site from 10am onwards. Limited to the first 500 registrants per day. Register here for your goodie bag!

Daily Lucky Draws

Take part in the daily lucky draw! Visitors will be entitled to one chance in the lucky draw with every receipt of purchase. Happening once daily, there is $10,000 worth of prizes to be won! Prizes include Disney hotel attraction passes and many more.

FREE Trial Classes

Immerse in three days of fun and learning through free trial classes offered by educational and enrichment providers from 10am to 8pm daily. The full list of activities will be available here!

Apart from the above mentioned, visitors at SmartKids Asia can also look forward to various other activities such as The Inflatable Challenge, SmartKids Asia’s Fun Passport, F-17 Futsal Challenge, SmartKids Asia Scholarship Programme and many more! All these activities are tailored for parents with children between 3 to 12 years of age.

Date and Time: 1st & 2nd July (10am – 9pm), 3rd July (10am – 8pm)

Venue: Suntec Singapore, Halls 405 & 406

Website: www.smartkidsasia.com

Hope to see you guys at the event! We will have a blast! 🙂

Bangkok for Kids: Bangkok Sea Life Siam Ocean World

Posted on August 14, 2015 by missuschewy

Helloooo daddies and mummies! Here’s our second of three-part series on things to do in Bangkok with kids! If you have missed our earlier post on Kidzoona and Molly Fantasy, click here to read it. You know how it’s kinda funny when misterchewy and I look back on our last trip to Bangkok in 2012.. We were trying to decide if we should visit Bangkok Sea Life Siam Ocean World while we were at Siam Paragon. After much deliberation, we both agreed to take our kid there the next time we visit Bangkok. Three years later.. HERE WE ARE! 😀

Little misschewy had not been to the S.E.A Aquarium at Sentosa so we reckon this would be an eye-opening and engaging experience for her. Furthermore, she knows what a fish is so we thought it would be interesting to introduce different forms of marine life to her. The tickets are priced at 990 baht for adults and 790 baht for children 3-11 years old. We only needed to purchase a pair of adult tickets which worked out to be around SGD 80! We managed to save a bit by getting the Weekday Early Bird rate at 745 baht for adults, which is about SGD 60 for a pair. We saved $20! However, the small catch is that you have to enter before noon on a weekday! With proper planning, it wasn’t difficult at all.

Indeed, from the moment we stepped into Siam Ocean World, Little misschewy was so enthralled by all the different types of fishes that we spent quite a fair bit of time before moving on to the next species.

This Octopus is really ginormous!

Lionfish! Reminds me of my scuba diving days. I wanna go diving again! 🙁

We stepped onto a glass panel and watched various sharks swim underneath us. Pretty cool!

This seems to be meant for kids and it’s sooo cute!

Little misschewy was initially afraid and clung on to misterchewy tightly. But after awhile, she refused to leave! LOL.

Heyyy fishie fishie!

Now, that’s a different kind of ‘fish’! Hahaha.

The otters were just lazing around!

This is the part where visitors get to touch and feel marine life such as starfish and sea cucumber.

Going on board the Ocean Feeding Boat allows one to get up close and personal with sharks, stingrays and a great variety of fish. SEA LIFE staff will provide an insightful introduction while feeding the fish by hand. It costs 180 baht per person and this activity is available from 10.30am to 8pm.

Adorable penguins!

Some of them were just standing still for so long and I actually wondered if they were real. Haha.

There’s a mini playground within Siam Ocean World!

This part of Siam Ocean World took our breaths away. It’s really magnificent plus the music that was being played had that mysterious mood to it. Watching all these gigantic sharks swim around was such an amazing experience!

As compared to our very own S.E.A Aquarium, I would say that Bangkok Sealife Siam Ocean World wins hands down in more ways than one. If you have a young toddler like us, a visit to Siam Ocean World is highly recommended! 😉
Stay connected with us on Facebook www.facebook.com/missuschewy and on Instagram @missuschewy and @misterchewy 🙂

Sea Life Bangkok Ocean World
B1-B2 Floor, Siam Paragon,
991 Rama 1 Rd, Pathumwan,
Bangkok 10330, Thailand.
(Nearest BTS: Siam)
Tel: 662 687 2000
Email: marketing.bangkok@merlinentertainments.biz

Opening Hours:
Daily
10am – 9pm

Introduction to Sparkanauts Plus Trial Passes Giveaway!

Posted on August 5, 2015 by missuschewy

– Sponsored Review –

Earlier last month, we started Little misschewy on lessons at Sparkanauts. It was never our intention to send her to such classes as we believe that all children develop at their own pace; it doesn’t matter if they start walking at 10 months or are still crawling at 15 months. When they are ready to walk, they WILL walk. Little misschewy started to take her first few independent steps when she was around 15 months but most of the time, she had a strong preference to crawl. Honestly, it was kinda amusing to see a toddler crawl on all fours but we didn’t have an issue with that. We soon realized that the problem lies with Chanelle not being confident enough to walk without any forms of support and therefore, she chose not to walk but would crawl instead. I’m very thankful that Mama Liz introduced us to Steven from Sparkanauts as misterchewy and I were clueless about how we could instill confidence in Little misschewy and get her to walk independently without resorting to having to crawling.

Sparkanauts aims to give each child an intellectual, physical and social edge in life and learning through specially design programmes that combine fun activities and research-backed teaching methods. Children learn best through play and this is exactly what Sparkanauts promote – holistic development through play. Steven proposed that Little misschewy attend the Cadet class which is targetted at toddlers between 12 months to 18 months of age. Every activity that we went through in class is designed to stimulate our child’s brains, while refining their physical abilities to move ahead. After attending a handful of sessions at Sparkanauts, I like how structured and well-organized the classes are. Chanelle is always fully engaged during the sessions which are 75 minutes long, inclusive of a 10-minute sharing session at the end of the class.

Kids like routine and it’s comforting to see that Chanelle is able to adapt well to the classes conducted and led by Teacher Rachel, assisted by Teacher Beatrice. Each week, we start off with a boisterous welcome song and a round of flash cards to get warmed up.

Chanelle is being introduced a different theme each week. So far, she had been exposed to Meal Time, Shower, My Neighborhood, Swimming and Playground. Kids get to learn about things that are related to a particular theme. In the case of “Shower” for instance, Chanelle had been presented with flash cards with words and pictures of bath tub, shampoo, diaper, towel, powder, etc.

There is never a dull moment at Sparkanauts!

During the circuit trainings, Chanelle got to walk up and down the ramps, climb up and down small steps, balance on the beam and crawl through tunnels. It is definitely a great and fun way to sharpen her balance and locomotor skills!

Fine motor skills are also being worked on during each class.

Chanelle’s favorite activity at Sparkanauts! Trapeze time!

Interesting use of puppets to teach Chanelle how to jump left, right, up and down.

For this relay activity, Chanelle had to pick up a piece of plastic fruit or vegetable one at a time, and walk to the other end to deposit it into another container.

This activity targets various areas of development such as hand-eye coordination, walking and balancing with a toy in one hand, bending down and getting up.

The items in the Mystery Box differs each week.

During this particular session, Chanelle was tasked to pinch some plasticine and place the pieces on each tooth. Afterwards, she had to brush them off using a toothbrush. We didn’t manage to complete this activity as Chanelle was uncomfortable with the texture of plasticine and kept avoiding it when we waved the ball of plasticine in front of her. Teacher Rachel noticed that Chanelle is only comfortable with handling smooth surfaces but when it came to sticky or rough surfaces, she would cringe and turn away. Therefore, we had to expose her to more textures!

Our term with Sparkanauts has not ended yet but misterchewy and I have started to see great improvements in Chanelle especially with regards to her physical development. If you are keen to experience what Sparkanauts has to offer, do take part in our giveaway contest! Sparkanauts is offering FREE trial sessions worth $58 each to two readers of missuschewy’s blog!
Simply follow the steps below to qualify. Good luck! 🙂

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sparkanauts
SAFRA Toa Payoh
293 Toa Payoh Lorong 6
#02-01
Singapore 319387
Tel: 62590307
Email: info@sparkanauts.com

Opening Hours:
Daily
9am – 5pm

Koobits Singapore Math Portal

Posted on April 28, 2015 by missuschewy

– Advertorial –

During my school days, I had a love-hate relationship with mathematics. Thankfully, I had competent tutors to turn to and of course, practice makes perfect! I have not been in touch with the current curriculum and syllabus being taught in schools and honestly, the seemingly difficult and impossible to crack Mathematics questions that have gone viral online makes me feel very worried that as a parent, I might not be able to guide Chanelle in her studies, especially when she enters primary school in future.

I found out about KooBits ProblemSums online portal, which is currently used by 1 in 5 primary school students to help improve their mathematics. I have nieces and nephews who are in primary school, so I thought I would recommend KooBits to them if I really find it useful!

Here’s taking a glance at the Primary 1 mathematics topics.

From the dashboard, users can select “Self Practice”, “Homework” or “Challenge”. Parents can also register and view their child’s performance report and also get alerted on their child’s homework.

Within “Self Practice”, there are mechanical sums, problem sums and high ability questions to complete.

Students can zoom in on areas that they are particularly weak in and keep practicing until they feel confident about moving on. I reckon it’s really cool that there are short and concise videos which are supposed to help children retain information in a more efficient manner.

Questions are labelled according to their level of difficulty. There is also a video tutorial for every question that serves as a step-by-step guide. I feel that this is very conducive in promoting self-learning in children.

Apart from homework created automatically by KooBits, teachers and parents can also log into the Maths portal and create new homework for the children!

Homework creation seems like a no-brainer!

I believe most kids will enjoy the KooBits Challenge! Besides the daily challenges that they can participate in, students can also challenge their friends and win prizes.

Watch this video and find out more about KooBits and how it can benefit your child!

Parents, feel free to make the best out of the 6 months FREE trial offered by KooBits by clicking here http://products.koobits.com/problemsums/singapore

Toozo Town: Starring Your Child in Songs and Stories!

Posted on April 20, 2015 by missuschewy

– Advertorial –

In this day and age, we find it increasingly difficult to function without technology. I will have to admit that I absolutely cannot live without my smartphone. I rely on it so much that when I’m with Chanelle, I find it impossible to put my phone away even for a few minutes. I think it’s because of this, Chanelle finds my phone more attractive than all her other toys and books. Sometimes I play nursery rhymes via YouTube but Chanelle doesn’t sit still for more than 2 minutes, thus leaving me at my wits’ end.

Recently, I was introduced to Kloneworld, a group of storytellers with a twist. Kloneworld passes on stories that inspired and entertained us when we were kids, onto the next generation by using a mix of technology and creativity. Instead of plain books and videos, Kloneworld puts us inside the movies, animations, comic books and toys we enjoy. When we can actually see ourselves star in our own movies and comics, we enjoy an unmatched personalized storytelling experience like no other! Sounds interesting? You bet! The Chewys had a wonderful time bonding over the unique, fun and educational Kloneworld ToozoTown, a virtual world where kids can see their avatars come to life.

To get started, simply download Kloneworld for FREE and sign up for an account. In order to start making your Klones, you need to upload passport type photos for best results. Ideally, there should be even light without shadow on face, face should be looking at camera with mouth closed and forehead visible.

Tadah! Here are The Chewys’ Klones! It was very tough to take a proper photo of Little misschewy who refused to keep still and look straight at the camera. Thank goodness her avatar turned out to be irresistibly adorable!

Everyone starts off with 1000 koins upon signing up. Some of the content are free, while others can be redeemed with koins.

The very first product that we created was the “Welcome to Toozo Town” video. The content took only a couple of minutes to be generated and a notification will be sent to your email account.

We are very impressed by how realistic our avatars are! Kloneworld cleverly makes the Klones perform a wide range of expressions and actions such as blinking, smiling, talking, singing, and dancing, etc.

Chanelle loves the videos that I had created for her! I think it was probably her 5th or 6th time watching the Welcome to Toozo Town video but she was so captivated by her own avatar that she kept her eyes glued to the screen and was seen ‘dancing’ to the music.

I am especially fond of the videos that put mummy/daddy and child together!

Cuteness overload! Even misterchewy couldn’t resist replaying the video a few times!

Besides videos, you can also create books.

Kloneworld Toozo Town is not all about fun and games. There is also an educational aspect that imparts moral values through traditional stores like The Fox & The Crow, and The Boy Who Cried Wolf.

You know what’s really cool? You have the option of purchasing the printed version of the book which you created! At just SGD9.99, you get a paperback A4 sized color printed book with your very own Klone in it!

After two weeks of playing around with Kloneworld Toozo Town, I am convinced that kids will benefit from this educational app through knowledge and values imparted by the various stories. Kloneworld is a Singaporean company, launching its first product exclusively in Singapore, and then the rest of the world. You may download the FREE app HERE! Some of the paid content can be redeemed with koins, which you can earn by inviting friends to use the app. Have fun!

Signing off with a photo taken with Gaju the elephant! 😉

missuschewy

Singapore Lifestyle and Travel Blog

Category Archives: #Education

Cup Noodles Museum Osaka Ikeda

Mari Mari Cultural Village Kota Kinabalu

Singapore World Water Day: Make Every Drop Count!

SmartKids Asia: 1-3 July 2016 at Suntec Singapore

Bangkok for Kids: Bangkok Sea Life Siam Ocean World

Introduction to Sparkanauts Plus Trial Passes Giveaway!

Koobits Singapore Math Portal

Toozo Town: Starring Your Child in Songs and Stories!

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