Cup Noodles Museum Osaka Ikeda: Design Your Very Own Instant Ramen

The first Chicken Ramen package.

A statue of Andō Momofuku stands at the museum’s entrance, a package of Chicken Ramen in hand.

This modern stone structure houses the museum, which is operated by the Andō Foundation, endowed by the inventor.

The exclamation-mark logo, designed by Satō Kashiwa, was inspired by the Cup Noodles package.

The museum’s interior has a sleek, futuristic look. Many of the displays and exhibits are geared toward children, making this a fun place for younger visitors.

A reproduction of Andō’s backyard workshop. Left penniless by a business failure at age 47, he worked tirelessly to develop his products.

The inside of the workshop. Andō got the idea for instant noodles from his wife Masako’s tempura.

A panel tracing the story of how Chicken Ramen became such a huge hit. Starting with production of just 400 units a day, five years later the business had grown to generate annual sales of ¥4.3 billion.

The first packages for Cup Noodles, launched in 1971.

The theater housed in the round wall on the right shows an animated film on the birth of Cup Noodles. Audio guides are available in English and Chinese.

Andō developed Space Ram instant noodles as a space food at the age of 95. He paid special attention to creating a soup that would not splatter in the zero-gravity environment of outer space. Japanese astronaut Noguchi Sōichi ate Space Ram aboard the space shuttle Discovery during a mission in 2005.

In the Instant Ramen Tunnel, visitors can view the evolution of instant noodles from the invention of Chicken Ramen up to today. Approximately 800 Nissin Foods products are displayed in the order of their creation.

Visitors often find this the most enjoyable part of the museum tour.

Made using just a few ingredients: flour, the mineral-rich, alkaline water known as kansui, and some seasonings.

After mixing the ingredients and kneading the dough, visitors roll it out with a rolling pin.

The dough comes out even thinner and smoother after being run through a noodle-making machine.

The noodles are cut to the ideal length for slurping.

Freshly-fried noodles, Tasty scraps are available for tasting right away.

Visitors design their own packages and seal them up to take them home.

The visitors’ goodie bag includes their very own Chicken Ramen, along with one package of the commercial version and a souvenir bandanna.

Blank noodle cups let visitors create their very own Cup Noodles as a souvenir.

Start by designing your very own cup. There is a blank space on the back for an illustration.

Special additional ingredients, available for a limited time only, add to the fun.

After the ingredients are selected, the cup is capped and wrapped. Visitors can observe the same production processes as at the factory.

The final touch: adding air to the packing bag to keep your Cup Noodles in good shape.

This is the perfect spot for taking a photo commemorating your visit. The wall display shows the huge variety of Cup Noodles sold all over the world.

Items used by Andō during his lifetime are displayed alongside the various awards and decorations he received.

A collection of calligraphy that Andō wrote each January 1 to mark the New Year.