Momofuku Ando Instant Ramen Museum

Statue of Momofuku Ando outside the museum, holding a chicken ramen packet in his hand and standing on a giant cup of noodles. Swampthing (Atlas Obscura User)

The Momofuku Ando Instant Ramen Museum is a museum dedicated to Taiwanese-Japanese inventor and food innovator Momofuku Ando. Crowded on weekends, this museum is an unlikely hit.

Exhibits include the hut where Ando came up with instant noodles, displays highlighting the different instant noodles around the world, and the obstacles Ando had to overcome to develop the classic. The “Interactive Cup Noodle Theatre” is a theater shaped like a giant cup of noodles which shows a video about how Ando came up with the ideas for the cup noodles as well as how cup noodles are made. An English audio guide can be rented for 2,000 Yen, which allows you to listen to the videos.

Perhaps the museum’s most popular attraction, though, is the workshop where you can create your own noodle cup. If you’re uncomfortable making - and eating - your own noodles, there is a noodle factory on-site where visitors can assemble their own noodle cups from pre-made ingredients.

Know Before You Go

Take a train to Ikeda station on the Hankyu-Takarazuka Line from Umeda in Osaka. The museum is a five minute walk from the train station and the route is clearly marked.

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