the momofuku ando instant ramen museum

by rameniac | 19 Sep 2008

Finally, the time is nigh for the hugest, most photo-intensive pictorial this website has ever seen! Maybe you guys thought I had forgotten, but perhaps I was just saving this for the right occasion ^^. What better way to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Chikin Ramen and the birth of instant noodles than a walking tour through the Momofuku Ando Instant Ramen Museum? Oh yes.

Located in Ikeda City, this glorious temple to all things Ando is a considerable detour from my usual Japanese stomping grounds. I took a day trip from Fukuoka (basically, halfway across the country) just to see this place. It’s a two and a half hour shinkansen to Kansai, and then another couple of local trains just to get to Ikeda, a suburb of Osaka. It was well worth it. By now, everyone knows about the Shin-Yokohama Raumen Museum. Despite the name, that place is effectively a glorified food court and a gift shop, albeit one with some really great eats. The Instant Ramen hakubutsukan is Osaka refusing to play second fiddle, and as both a museum and entertainment attraction, it’s actually a whole lot more interactive and kid-friendly. In fact, there were so many children running around that I was worried people would think I was a pedophile, this grown adult snapping photos as little ones kept wandering in and out of the frame.

But photography is encouraged, and so I went balls-to-the-wall overboard with shots of everything I came across, because I had no idea when I would be back. The museum is very much a testament to the legacy of Momofuku Ando and Nissin, complete with a timeline wall of every Nissin instant noodle ever made, a replica home detailing Ando-san’s humble beginnings and the invention of the flash-fry process, a Chikin Ramen Workshop for kidlets on field trips, and, my personal favorite, the My Cup Noodle Factory, where you can customize your very own flavor of Cup Noodle! At this point I might as well just let the pictures do the talking. Click and enjoy. Happy 50th birthday, Nissin Chikin Ramen! Happy anniversary, instant noodle-dom! The Momofuku Ando Instant Ramen Musem definitely made for a great, educational afternoon outing. Alas, it would have been even better had I brought a date. #@%$!

Hours open: 9:30AM–4:00PM
(Admission allowed until 3:30PM)
Days closed: Tuesdays, end of the year
and New Year’s holidays
Admission: free
8-25 Masumi-cho, Ikeda-shi, Osaka Prefecture
phone: +81-72-752-3484
http://www.nissin-noodles.com/
“The Chicken Ramen Workshop”
*Reservations required
Held 3 times daily on Wednesday through Friday, 4 times daily on weekends and national holidays; 90 minutes per session; ¥500 for adults, ¥300 for primary school pupils
Reservation hotline: phone +81-72-751-0825
“My Cup Noodle Factory”
*No reservations required
9:30AM–3:45PM;
Fee: ¥300 per serving per person

Chikin Ramen Workshop
3 times daily wed - fri
4 times daily on weekends and national holidays
90 minutes per session
¥500 for adults
¥300 for primary school pupils

closed: tue, end of the year and new year’s holidays

hours and info from: Osaka Prefectural Government