Do you love eating Japanese instant noodles? The Cupnoodles Museum in Osaka allows you to make your own instant noodles by hand. Besides enjoying the fun of DIY noodles, you can also taste the delicious results, giving you unexpected surprises! Let’s introduce this must-visit museum for instant noodle lovers and see how fun making DIY noodles can be!
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Introduction to the Osaka Cupnoodles Museum
The Osaka Cupnoodles Museum (officially the Cupnoodles Museum Osaka Ikeda) is located in Ikeda, Osaka. It is convenient to access and offers unique experiences, making it very popular among tourists. The museum is not too large, but it is perfectly formed and has everything you need.
From the entrance, you are greeted by a statue of the founder, Momofuku Ando. Upon entering the museum, you can learn about the founding process of Nissin Cup Noodles and its management philosophy.
You can also visit various exhibition areas. Finally, you can actually experience the process from selecting the soup base and making the noodles to completing a cup of noodles, creating a unique bowl of instant noodles that belongs only to you!
Getting to the Osaka Cupnoodles Museum
The Osaka Cupnoodles Museum is located in Osaka. You just need to take the Hankyu Takarazuka Line from “Osaka-Umeda Station” and get off at “Ikeda Station.” It is a 5-minute walk from there. If you are unsure of the way, you can look for the “Hiyoko-chan” (Little Chick) signs on the ground and roadside. Just follow them, and you will smoothly arrive at the museum.
📌 Osaka Metro Pass: Klook
📌 Kansai Railway Pass / JR Kansai Wide Area Pass: KKday｜Klook
Osaka Cupnoodles Museum Entrance Fee
You can visit the exhibition areas and DIY your own instant noodles, but how much is the ticket for such a great museum? Surprisingly, admission is free! Making the standard “My Cup Noodles” costs only 500 JPY (approx. $3.30 USD). If you want to make the specialty Chicken Ramen by hand, it costs 1,000 JPY (approx. $6.60 USD) for adults and 600 JPY (approx. $4.00 USD) for children.
- Admission: Free
- My Cup Noodles Factory: 500 JPY (approx. $3.30 USD)
- Chicken Ramen Factory: Adults 1,000 JPY (approx. $6.60 USD), Children 600 JPY (approx. $4.00 USD)
Osaka Cupnoodles Museum Experience
The Cupnoodles Museum Osaka Ikeda is not actually very big, but you can take your time admiring the entire wall of instant noodles and visiting the history of instant noodles and the founding process of Nissin Cup Noodles. Here is a detailed introduction:
Cup Noodles History Exhibition
As the site dedicated to the founder of Nissin Cup Noodles, the Osaka Cupnoodles Museum is also known as the “Momofuku Ando Instant Ramen Museum.” You can see that instant noodles were actually an invention after World War II. Momofuku Ando turned wheat into noodles, a staple accustomed to by Eastern people, which eventually developed into the instant noodle culture loved by everyone today.
In addition, you can see the research history of Momofuku Ando’s instant noodle inventions, as well as different instant noodles launched in various periods. There are even future instant noodle invention plans, which is quite interesting.
The Research Shed
This area directly recreates Momofuku Ando’s instant noodle research shed. A bicycle is parked next to a small wooden hut. Inside, there are materials and utensils used by Momofuku Ando to research noodle inventions using wheat. It directly creates the environment of researching instant noodles and presents the founder’s sincere passion for the invention, which is very moving.
Instant Noodles Tunnel
The entire Instant Noodles Tunnel will definitely make your jaw drop! From instant noodles of various periods to various unique flavors, such as stir-fried noodles and kitsune udon, and even many special collaboration packages and regional limited cup noodles. The wall, which has everything, can be described as quite spectacular, and it is also the prime photo spot of the Osaka Cupnoodles Museum.
My Cup Noodles Factory (DIY)
Step 1: Cup Design
After entering the Cupnoodles Museum Osaka Ikeda, just follow the crowd. First, you choose your cup! Purchase it from a vending machine, where you can decide how many cups you want to make.
Next, move to the DIY area nearby. There are Hiyoko-chan patterns on the table that you can trace, so you don’t have to worry about not knowing what to draw or wasting too much time. In addition, although there are many people, there are staff members guiding and instructing on-site. The pens and colors on the table are also quite complete. I basically followed along and started drawing without overthinking!
I suggest you think about what soup base and ingredients you want to use while drawing, so you won’t spend too much time thinking about toppings when you line up for production later.
Step 2: Placing the Noodles
After drawing your cup design, you can follow the crowd to get the noodle block. There are production lines on both the left and right sides here. Just turn the handle following the staff’s instructions to smoothly place the noodles into the cup. The whole process is simple and fast; even for a first-timer like me, it was easy to get the hang of it.
Step 3: Selecting Soup & Toppings
The third step is to choose the soup base. There are four choices: Standard, Seafood, Curry, and Chili Tomato. I chose the Seafood soup. Next, there are many topping choices. It is a pity that they are labeled in Japanese, but you can guess what the ingredients are and just point them out to the staff.
If you want to bring your handmade instant noodles back to Taiwan (or your home country), it is generally no problem! Ingredients like corn, cheese, and eggs are fine, and you can even add the iconic cute Hiyoko-chan fish cakes. However, please note that “Mystery Meat” (diced pork) generally cannot be brought back to Taiwan due to regulations, so if you plan to take it home, it is recommended not to choose this topping.
Step 4: Packaging
After selecting the toppings and soup, it’s time for the final packaging! Since professional machines are needed here, you basically just watch the staff operate them. They will confirm with you while sealing and shrink-wrapping, allowing you to see your handmade cup noodles successfully completed.
After receiving your finished cup noodles from the staff, you can do the final “air package” to prevent it from being crushed in your luggage when bringing it back to Taiwan. Put the cup noodles in the bag, pump it up with air, and tie the string, and you can easily carry it away! It is a very convenient and quick design, forming a cute inflatable noodle bag.
The above is the introduction to the Osaka Cupnoodles Museum. It is fun, delicious, and allows you to experience the entire noodle-making process. The price is very affordable, making it a great place to arrange a half-day trip. It is recommended to stay at the museum for about 1.5 hours. Take your time drawing, watching the production process, visiting the exhibition area, and leisurely taking beautiful photos of instant noodles to leave unique and delicious memories!
Check some hot tours in Osaka：
📌 Universal Studios Japan Ticket | Osaka (Official Partner): KKday｜Klook
📌 Osaka Amazing Pass (1 or 2 Days) | E-Ticket: KKday｜Klook
📌 ABENO HARUKAS 300 Observatory Ticket | Osaka: KKday｜Klook
📌 Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan Ticket: Klook
📌 Kansai Airport (KIX) – HARUKA Express Train Ticket: KKday｜Klook
📌 Nankai Rapi:t Airport Express Ticket (KIX to Namba): Klook
📌 Japan SIM Card/eSIM | Unlimited Data / 500MB / 1GB: KKday｜Holafly
