The Cup Noodles Museum – The Most Fun Thing to Do in Yokohama

One of the best things to do in Yokohama is making your own Cup Noodle at the Cup Noodles Museum. Here’s what you need to know to make that happen.

In 1958, a Taiwanese man living in Japan created a product that would change the world’s ability to make a quick dinner forever – instant noodles.

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Fast-forward 68 years, and in a stylish, minimalist building in Yokohama, hundreds of people are making their own versions of his creation via the medium of coloured pens, plastic containers and spoonfuls of dehydrated corn.

But before you find out how you too can join in the fun, it’s time to learn about the man and the magic that was the creation of the instant noodle.

A Brief History of Cup Noodles

The instant noodle was invented by Momofuko Ando in 1958 as a way to deal with food shortages in Japan after the Second World War. His first invention was a block of dehydrated chicken-flavoured noodles that could be turned into a quick, tasty dish in two minutes with just boiling water from a kettle.

However, it took another 13 years before Ando-san turned the dish into the Cup Noodle.

It happened after a visit to the US, where he saw people eating the instant noodles by breaking them up, putting them in a cup and pouring water on the top. Instead of serving them in bowls, they ate straight from the cup they’d made them in. A lightbulb went off, and the Cup Noodle was born.

All of this is explained in the Cup Noodle Museum – although, mostly in Japanese. The English is more one-line headlines, so I had to look up much of the information above online once I got back rather than learning it in the museum itself, but there are still some fun moments to be had.

You can explore a mocked-up version of the house in which Ando-san created his first product, then visit the technicolour Cup Noodle timeline.

Officially, this is a way to track the snack’s global takeover, starting with the original chicken flavour and moving along the wall of brightly coloured packets showing just some of the 150 flavours available all over the world today. Unofficially, it’s Instagram gold!

We did have to laugh at the display comparing the invention of the Cup Noodle with other technological achievements like the Space Shuttle – although, to be fair, I have never used a Space Shuttle, but I have had a few cup noodles, so maybe they are onto something.

All of this is just the amuse-bouche, though. Think of it as like finding a way to pass the two minutes while your noodles soften in the water. What everyone is really here for is the ‘My Cup Noodle Experience‘, when you get to create and customise your own miracle food.

Making Your Own Cup Noodle

The 3rd floor of the museum is home to the My Cup Noodle Experience.

At first glance, I was doubting my life choices as we arrived here. The room is a huge open space filled with tables, with Cup Noodle-making stations at the far end.

All I could see was people and queues – people sitting down colouring in their pots, people queuing for the production process, people wearing bright yellow chicken hats in another room doing a ramen-making class – it seemed like half of Yokohama was in the room. 

My heart sank at this point, but don’t fret – the organisation is second to none. Here’s what to expect.

Step 1. Buy Your Cup

Making your own Cup Noodle costs 500 yen.

We had booked and paid for a timeslot online to make sure we didn’t miss out. This isn’t necessary; there were still slots for walk-ins, but it did mean we got to skip the first bit of the line – buying our cup noodle cup.

If you book in advance, this is handed to you; if you just walk in, you’ll buy it from the machine on the wall. Advance booking probably saved us about five minutes of queuing. 

Step 2. Decorating

A quick squirt of hand sanitiser, and it’s time to line up for the basic noodle introductions that explain the rules of colouring in your pot – make sure you date it, don’t go over the top or bottom lines and use pens only; there’s no sticking on sparkles or anything.

Once you’ve gone through these, it’s time to grab a seat at one of the colouring stations to decorate your noodle pot. This is where my faith in Japanese organisation was restored.

This room was packed. I had flashbacks of trying to find a chair in a busy pub in London on a Friday night – I was ready to practise my skills honed over years of trying to spot someone moving from their seat on the Tube. However, you don’t need to find your own slot – the staff will come and take you to a table with the right number of seats for your party.

Pens are on the table, and you can draw or colour anything you like on your Cup Noodle pot. As you can see, I’m an undiscovered talent in the world of Cup Noodle design.

Step 3: Pick Your Flavours

Decorating your pot is one way to make your Cup Noodle your own. Creating your own flavour combination is the other.

Apparently, 5460 different combinations can be created from the ingredient options presented to you. The good news is you don’t need to make that many decisions. 

1. First, you choose your flavour base. Pick from

• Original
• Curry
• Seafood
• Chilli Tomato.

2. Then you can choose up to four fillings from a list of 12. They include…

• Shrimp
• Beef
• Egg
• Garlic Chips
• Cheese
• Crab Fish Cakes
• Cute Chick-shaped Fish Cakes
• Long green onions
• Green beans
• Kimchi
• Corn
• And a special topping of the day

These are all listed on a display on the colouring table so you can decide before you move on to step 4.

Step 4. Make the Cup Noodle

Time to join the line of people snaking around the room for the fun bit.

First up though, don’t worry about the length of the queue. When we went, it was lined all the way along the side of the ramen-making kitchen and looked huge, but it moves very quickly.

There are about 6-8 different noodle-making stations, and each takes one group. Our cup creator spoke good English, so he could talk us through the steps, and I think they funnel Western tourists towards people who are happy to speak English.

First, you add the noodles to the cup by spinning a wheel four times. 

Then your noodles have your selection of toppings added. Mine were chick fish cakes, because they are adorable, shrimp, kimchi and green onions.

You get a glimpse, and then the lid is popped on, and it’s vacuum-sealed so you can take it away.

The noodles have a Best Before of a month, but if you do decide to take them back to your home country, remember that they may contain meat or fish (depending on which options you choose), and so, depending on where you live, you might need to declare them on arrival.

Step 5. Pack It Up

The final step is to secure your Cup Noodle in its protective puffy bag. You fill these with air yourself with a hand pump.

It’s a genius idea to protect the product, but all you see around Yokohama is people walking around with what look like giant avant-garde handbags.

They also alter your spatial perception as you’re carrying around about 3 inches of air against your hip – I kept forgetting about it and bumping into things for the next hour.

The whole process from entering the Cup Noodle area to walking out with our puffy bags took just 35 minutes.

Hungry Yet?

Unfortunately, you can’t eat your Cup Noodle there and then, but if being surrounded by noodles has made you hungry, the fourth floor contains the Noodle Bazaar, a hawker stall-type area with noodle/pasta dishes from eight different countries, including laksa, mee goreng, beef noodle soup, pho and tomato sauce topped spaghetti.

We, however, were tempted inside by one thing – a sign for Cup Noodle soft serve ice cream.

It looks amazing – with all the toppings you expect from your tasty convenience snack. We excitedly bought two to try.

One mouthful later, and there was much regret. It doesn’t just look like a Cup Noodle; it tastes like one – the ice cream has a mild curry taste, and the fillings are real meat, shrimp, egg, etc. This was not a welcome surprise!

I got used to the curry taste and ate the ice cream, but could not stomach the fillings; my friend was completely the opposite and ate the toppings and left the ice cream. Order these with care!

And There’s More!

If you’re travelling with kids, there is a small play area in the building called Cup Noodle Park; it costs 500 yen for a 30-minute session.

Our final stop for the day was the Cup Noodle Store back on the ground floor, where all sorts of noodle-related goodies are yours to purchase.

From here, you’re just steps away from the water rides and roller coaster of Cosmo World – but, after the slight queasiness triggered by the Cup Noodle Ice Cream, that was suddenly off the menu!

The Verdict

I had a lot of fun making my Cup Noodle and enjoyed seeing the process and learning little facts like the noodles never go all the way down to the bottom of the cup to allow proper mixing.

I admit, the Cup Noodle ice cream did have an adverse side effect, which was that I felt faintly sick every time I even thought about eating my actual Cup Noodle.

I carried mine on a tour of Japan for the next 35 days and then had to throw it away at the last minute as I couldn’t do my case up with it in, so I never got to try it.

However, my friend had hers as a snack on a day we missed lunch – she said it was pretty good.

If you don’t want to carry yours around or are worried that you might not be able to take it home (I would have had to declare mine in Australia as it had shrimp and fish cakes in it), build in a Cup Noodle picnic on a quiet hotel night.

Other Questions You Might Have

Do They Cater for Allergies?

Yes and no. Ingredients in the noodles, bases and toppings that correspond to the top eight allergens in Japan, and 20 other common allergens, are listed – these include wheat, milk, soy, sesame and shrimp – but they don’t offer variations like gluten-free noodles.

Also, note that peanuts are used in one of the soup bases.

Can Kids Take Part?

Yes. The My Cup Noodle Experience is open to any age.

Do You Need to Book in Advance?

Bookings aren’t essential for the My Cup Noodle Experience, or to enter the Museum itself.

We were there on a Friday, and they still had plenty of walk-in slots available. But it does give you a sense of security and lets you organise your day if you do have a booked time.

You can book up until midnight the day before your visit. On the day, you’ll need to pick up tickets from the machines at the front of the Museum. This also lets you jump the queue for admission. You can book direct with the museum.

If you want to do the Chicken Ramen Experience though, you do need to book in advance.

What’s the Chicken Ramen Experience?

This replicates Ando-san’s original instant noodle recipe. You’ll make the noodles from scratch, then dehydrate them.

A maximum of 48 people can do this experience, and you get to wear a natty chicken headscarf that I coveted the whole time I was making my Cup Noodle.

Bookings are essential for this experience and, as I said, it does sell out. It costs 1200 yen for adults, 600 yen for children 6-12. Children under six can’t take part.

Sessions last 90 minutes, and there are eight sessions a day starting at 10.15.

Find all the details and make bookings here. Bookings open three months before the date of your visit.

Is the Osaka Cup Noodle Museum the Same?

I haven’t been to that one, but a comparison of the two online suggests yes. The hours are slightly different, though, so check their website for full details if you are heading to Osaka instead.

Opening Hours, Costs and Directions

Opening Hours

The Museum is open six days a week from 10 am to 6 pm – last admission is at 5 pm. It is closed on Tuesdays.

The My Cup Noodle Experience follows the same hours, but the last admission is at 5.30. However, they say to allow 45 minutes to complete the Cup Noodle – although ours took a little bit less time than that – so you might not want to leave things right to the last minute.

Entry Prices

Getting into the museum costs 500 yen. The My Cup Noodle Experience costs another 500 yen. If you book in advance, your ticket includes both.

Getting There

The Yokohama Cup Noodles Museum is located in the Minato Mirai area of Yokohama; this is a small island connected by bridges to the main city.

We chose to get here via the Air Cabin cable car from Sakuragicho Station as that seemed fun, but you can also walk across. If you’re doing this, Bashamichi or Nihon Odori stations are the closest.

If you’re in Yokohama before or after a cruise, the museum is a 20-minute walk from the Cruise Terminal.

If you’re coming from Tokyo, there are multiple ways to get to the Cup Noodle Museum.

From Shinjuku and Shibuya, the easiest route is to catch the Fukotoshin Line to Minatomirai Station and then walk for ten minutes. This doesn’t require any changes. It takes about 55 minutes and costs 690 yen one way.

From the east side of Tokyo, there are lots of different ways to get there depending on your exact starting point and the availability of rapid vs local trains. So check Google Maps for the fastest and easiest option from your exact location at the time of day you want to travel.

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