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!
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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