Something Different: Cup Noodle Museum Visit, Yokohama

As the existence of the blog suggests, I am a fan of all things food. And as you know food at times goes beyond eating and rather affects our day to day elements in other ways. We then celebrate such elements through art, television and memorials.

The main entrance

One such memorial is the Cup Noodle Museum in Yokohama that I visited with my cousins. As it is after all food related, I think it would be appropriate to put it in TOG and give readers something different to read. Hence the inclusion of the new tagline "Something Different". Anyway, lets begin shall we?

The stairs to the upper decks

I was visiting my cousins who were studying in Yokohama at the time and they suggested the museum. As I have never been there before, I say why not? Gotta try everything once right? I was pleasantly surprised when we got there. The museum was fun and interesting for all ages to learn about all things about instant noodles. After getting your ticket, which is ¥500 for an adult, head on to the upper decks where you will begin the visit. 

Check out this amazing wall! And this is just one of the 4 corners. 

The first room was already spectacular, lined with various instant noodle packs round the world. The white walls made the exhibited packs even more impact-ful as their colourful exterior was really shown in full glow. From the simple plastic pack to elaborate Styrofoam bowls, this place has it all.

From the very beginning

And this collection begins from the first ever one way back in 1958 all the way to the current year. I believe alot of effort must have been expended to curate such a collection of instant noodles. It also shows how such a food item stood the test of time. And standing the test of time may not necessarily mean to surpass its expiry date. 

A real flood of colours. 

There were also packs from other countries. Packs from Thailand, Korea and Singapore made an appearance. Even the original 2 minute Maggi pack was there for all to see. It definitely brought waves of nostalgia for me. There are now more elaborate flavour such as tom yum and duck, but the classic chicken is still my favourite. 

Old Faithful! Made in Malaysia!

After looking around, you are then guided to enter to a theater where a clay animation sketch on the creator of instant noodles Momofuku Ando. It was interesting and educational, seeing how he suffered to create the first pack of instant noodles to fighting of competitors and being a celebrated father of innovation. It was a story that needs to be told to more people and his perseverance is something of legend within the Japanese community, yet little is said overseas. Of course, no pictures were allowed to be taken during the show. 

Such a humble shack

When the show is over, visitors were then guided to view some of the other exhibits. One of which was the exact replica of the shack where Mr Momofuku Ando experimented on recipes. Inside the shack lies the makeshift kitchen where the man dabbled with his culinary prototypes. It was humbling to see such a simple shack being the birthplace of a modern staple. Very inspiring. 

One part of the informative wall of Mr Momofuku's life and his creation. 

There was also a wall that has on it the chronology of his life and his journey creating instant noodles in greater detail. There are also news paper cut outs on the latest innovations from Nissin such as space ramen. Displayed here was also a corner where a special tribute from the New York Times written right after his passing. On another corner, there were modern art exhibits that were quite impressive and thought provoking. 

Anti gravity

One that really struck me was this particular art piece of a flying cup noodle. Firstly, how does it defy gravity? I believe that there are some support structures in the noodles part and that it is actually hanging on the ceiling. It is an art piece worth admiring. 

What a line. 

There is also a floor where you can make your own instant cup noodle. However, we decided not to do it as the line was very long. This is to be expected as we were in the middle of the school summer break and alot of kids were actually here with either their parents or their teachers to visit the Museum. We instead head to the upper floor where the Noodles Bazaar is located.

Time for some lunch.

To our pleasant surprise, the Noodles Bazaar is actually a food court with 8 different stalls from 8 different cultures selling a variety of noodle dishes. So that would be lunch! And as we tried alot of what was in store, its enough content to justify a second post. As such, watch this space for part 2 of this tour of the Cup Noodle Museum.