Instant Ramen Museum @ Ikeda, Osaka Japan: DIY Cup Noodles!

Momofuku Ando Instant Ramen Museum at Ikeda, Osaka Japan! Must-visit attraction when in Osaka. Suitable for both children and adults!

Our third day in Japan was a really tiring day with hectic schedule, including half day trip to Fushimi Inari Taisha and Uji town, travelling from Kyoto to Osaka and lost our way to hotel in the maze like Osaka City. We had a brief walk in Shinsaibashi at night, taking a glance at the legendary Glico man. Round up with dinner at the famous Ichiran Ramen shop then head back to Arietta Hotel for rest, hoping that we could wake up early for the forth day exciting activity – Making our own cup of instant cup noodle at Momofuku Ando Instant Ramen Museum!

As its name implies, Momofuku Ando Instant Ramen Museum is a ramen museum in Osaka that showcases everything about instant ramen and cup noodles – from appreciating the history of how instant noodles is born to hands-on in DIY cup noodles . It was built in 1999 and from then on, this place receives overwhelming response from the locals, as well as tourists from different parts of the world.

How to Go to Instant Ramen Museum Osaka?

The Nissin cup noodle museum is located in the town of Ikeda, north of Osaka. Can be reached by aligning at Ikeda Station on the Hankyu Takarazuka line. We took about 45 minutes journey from Arietta Hotel Honmachi -> stop at Umeda Station -> transfer to Hankyu Line -> Ikeda station. From Ikeda Station Masumicho Homen exit, turn left and walk straight until you reach a junction. There should be a signboard that shows you direction to Osaka Ramen Museum. Turn right and walk straight until you see a huge, rectangular bricks-like building. Reach! Just 5-10 minutes walking distance from the Ikeda station!

1st stop – Take a photo with Momofuku Ando statue, the great man behind the birth of Instant Ramen and cup noodles.

2nd stop – Instant Noodles Tunnel

Right after the entrance. Take a trip down the memory lane, browsing through over 800 hundreds of colourful instant noodles and cup noodles in different size, packaging, flavours, types and generations. Never realize instant ramen also can be so pattern.

Mr. Momofuku Ando, the founder, probably has not thought that this brilliant invention would have grown to becoming a popular “universal food” in less than a century, sold over billions throughout the world every year.

3rd stop – My CUPNOODLES Factory. After wah and hu-ha on the arrays of instant noodles, is time to make our own version in My Cup Noodles Factory! Yay.

To began, follow the queue. While waiting, prepare some coins because you need to purchase the empty noodle cup at 300yen per cup.

Throw in coins. *Cling cling cling* and there you go, a Nissin cup! You can buy more than 1 cup per pax but don’t get too greedy by buying like 10 at one time as there are others waiting behind you too. Be considerate and move fast.

Sanitize your hand.

Staffs will then lead you to your seats. Pens are ready and you can start drawing anything we want, in between the two yellow colours line stated on the cup. Glad that those are “full-of-ink” fresh pens (guess most of them will be “inkless” if this were to happen in our country, with scribbles on the table LOL)

Summergirl drawing class in process. Guess the outcome?

Ta da!

Done and we proceed into another queue. For? Of course to fill the cup with dried noodles, flavours and ingredients of your choice. You don’t wanna come in and leave only with a empty cup huh?

Turned the lever for 6 times. Dried noodle will drop into the cup.

Next, choose your flavours – Chilli tomato, original, curry and seafood. Complete with 4 ingredients of your choice – Shrimp, cubic roast pork, crab meat, corn, green onion, egg, kidney beans and the most lovely goes to flat fish sausage printed with Hiyoko-chan.

Almost done. Wait for the cup to be sealed, shrink-wrapped.

The last step was the most fun part to us. Blow air into the “air package” using air pumps, tied with red rope and carried around like a bag. Hahaha…

4th stop – Tasting Room

Next to Cup Noodle Factory, equipped with self-service instant noodle vending machine. Seems like everything can go into vending machine in Japan. About 30 products are sold here, including popular newly released products and limited-edition products from Hokkaido and Tohoku. We wanted to try too but section was closed due to full-house.

5th Stop – Chicken Ramen Factory

So we walked upstairs and have a look at Chicken Ramen Factory, a section where visitors can experience the whole process of making instant noodles. Start from kneading till drying the noodles. While you do not need to make reservations for DIY cup noodles, you need to reserve your participation for instant ramen making (500yen for adult, 300 yen for elementary school students). Reservation can be done by phone or through Instant Ramen Museum website.

6th Stop – CUPNOODLES Drama Theater. Enjoy video on the making of instant ramen.

7th Stop – The Birth of Chicken Ramen.

Instant Ramen Museum recreates the shed where Mr. Ando successfully invented the world’s first Chicken Ramen. Equipments used were normal, no sophisticated machine or technology to assist. A shed that trying to deliver a message for everyone : Don’t give up. It is possible to create world changing invention with just ordinary tools as long as there is an idea, faith, and non-stop trying.

8th Stop – Momofuku Ando and the Story of Instant Noodle.

A wall of timeline, showing the growth of instant noodles in food industry. We learnt that it was brought up to space in 2005 as part of the food supply for astronauts too! Awesome “Space Ramen”.

9th Stop – Exhibition of Instant Noodles

10th Stop – Traces of Momofuku Ando

11th Stop – Museum Shop

Before leaving, we visited Instant Ramen Museum Osaka souvenir shop and bought home few cup noodles. All those Hiyoko-chan (the yellow colour Chicken Ramen mascot as you seen on Nissin instant noodle) merchandise are so adorable!

We spent about 2 hours in there. Since Instant Ramen Museum Osaka opening hours is 9AM to 4PM (last admission is 3.30PM, closed on Tuesday), suggest to visit in the morning to avoid crowd. And you get to spent some time walking around after completing your DIY cup noodles.

Adrress:
The Momofuku Ando Instant Ramen Museum Osaka
インスタントラーメン発明記念館
8－25, Masumi-cho, Ikeda-shi, Osaka, Japan
How to reach: Align at Ikeda Station Hankyu Takarazuka line. Follows Masumicho Homen Exit. Turn left at the exit, walk straight and follow signboard to reach. Approximately 5-10 minutes from Ikeda station.
Admission fee: FREE to enter. Pay 300yen for DIY cup noodles (no reservation needed). 500yen adult/ 300yen elementary school children for instant noodles making (need reservation).
Opening hours : 9:30am -4:00pm (Final admission is 3:30PM, closed on Tuesday)