If you want something fun to do with your kids around Osaka, Japan, check out the Cup Noodles Museum Osaka. Established in 1999, the museum is dedicated to the history of instant ramen and its inventor Momofuku Ando who forever changed ramen in 1958 when he created an instant version of chicken ramen. Magic ramen, you only needed to add water to cook. Now, some 80’s years later, Ando’s products have been eaten by billions worldwide, and the Cup Noodles Museum celebrates that.
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Cup Noodles Museum Osaka Visiting Information
- Website:
- Address:
- 8-25 Masumicho, Ikeda, Osaka 563-0041, Japan
- Phone:
- +81 72-752-3484
- Dates & Hours:
- Wed-Mon from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm (Last admission at 3:30 pm). Closed on Tuesdays.
- Dates and hours of operations may change. We recommend calling them or checking their website beforehand to confirm their business hours.
- Price:
- Admission is FREE.
- 500 Yen per cup noodles ~ $3.74 US dollars
- How much we spent during our visit:
- Total: 2000 Yen for 4 cup noodles ~ $14.96 US dollars
- 500 Yen for each cup noodle (2 adults and 2 children)
- Total: 2000 Yen for 4 cup noodles ~ $14.96 US dollars
- Activities:
- Take a photo of the Instant Noodle Tunnel Exhibit with 800 product packages of the past 50 years.
- See a wall of Cup Noodles from all around the world.
- Create and customize your own original Cup Noodles.
- Time spent:
- 1 hour and 15 mins
- Availability:
- Tickets are first come, first served basis. There are a limited number of visitors for each time slot. We recommend arriving right when they open. You can check availability sales status here: https://www.cupnoodles-museum.jp/en/osaka_ikeda/status/
- Where we ate:
- Ippudo (2-10 Masuicho, Ikeda, Osaka 563-0041, Japan) – 260 meters away (3 min walk) – Delicious ramen!
- Pet allowed:
- No
- Stroller friendly:
- Strollers are parked outside of the museum. We recommend bringing a baby carrier if you have younger kids.
- Restrooms:
- Yes, flushable toilets.
Extra info
- What we observed:
- We recommend having internet access and downloading “Google Maps” to get around Japan. This will help you figure out what rail line to take for your trips. You can also ask a station employee to assist you.
- The museum is about a 7-10 min walk from Ikeda station. If you see people walking around with bubble bagged cup noodles, you are going the right way.
- Some of the museum is in Japanese and we recommend downloading “Google Translate” to understand the signage.
- Bring cash to purchase your cup noodles at the vending machine.
- This is a small museum that displays the history and science of how cup noodles were made.
- The large part of the museum is the customizable cup noodles workshop. The process: purchase cup noodles at the vending machine, antibacterial your hands, an employee places a cap over your cup, doodle on your cup noodles (think of a design you want to draw while waiting in line), write today’s date on it, pick out your broth (original, seafood, curry, or chili tomato) and 4 toppings (shrimp, minced pork, egg, green onions, Hiyoko-chan fish sausage, garlic chip, green beans, cheese, crab-flavored fish sausage, corn or kimchi), watch them seal and shrink wrap your cup, and lastly you bubble bag your cup noodles for an easy takeaway.
- They recommend that you consume your cup noodles within one month.
- We had no idea they had a vending machine tasting room so be sure to check it out to try other cup noodles from around the world.
- This is a great place for all ages.
things to bring
- Clothing:
- Check the weather before you go. The weather can be changeable; layered clothing is recommended.
- What we packed:
- Travel stroller, lip sunscreen, sunscreen, phone charger, hand sanitizer, Suds2go hand wash cap, water wipes, snacks, and water.
- You can get the links to all our travel essentials here: Travel Essentials | Califoreigners
- Where we stayed:
- Courtyard by Marriott Shin-Osaka Station (1 Chome-2-70 Miyahara, Yodogawa Ward, Osaka, 532-0003, Japan) – This is where we stayed.
- Remm-Shin-Osaka (1 Chome-1-1 Miyahara, Yodogawa Ward, Osaka, 532-0003, Japan) – Cheaper option at the Skin-Osaka Station
- Ways to save money:
- Pick up food, snacks and drinks from 7-Eleven, Lawson or Family Mart.
- School field trips:
- Yes, the kids get to experience the Chicken Ramen Factory.
- Gift Certificates:
- No
- Memberships:
- No
- Other locations:
- Cup Noodles Museum Yokohama (2 Chome-3-4 Shinko, Naka Ward, Yokohama, Kanagawa, 231-0001, Japan)
- Other places to visit in Japan:
- Recommended itinerary:
- Pick up food, snacks and drinks from 7-Eleven, Lawson or Family Mart.
- 9:30 am – Cup Noodles Museum
- Lunch at Ippudo
- Pick up pork buns at 551 Horai at Shin-Osaka Station – They have the best butaman!
- Follow us on Instagram @thecaliforeigners, Youtube @Califoreigners, TikTok @Califoreigners
What We Said In Our Cup Noodles Museum Osaka Video
The museum was busy when we arrived, but we eventually entered its exhibit area. Wanting to knock out the main activity first, we stayed in the line that had chronicled the product’s evolution since 1958. Once we got closer to the Ramen factory where you can make your own unique ramen. We went through the museum’s easy-to-understand animations and English cue cards before buying our cups from the vending machine and got seated to draw. After about 15 minutes of drawing, we got back in line and thought about what four ingredients we wanted to put into our cups. With the staff’s help, the final steps included placing the noodles, selecting ingredients, sealing on the paper lip, and vacuum sealing the cup. It was so cool. At the end of the production line, you can blow up these super cool carrier bags that the kids loved.
Other Exhibits
After making our cup of noodles, we headed to the other exhibits. Exhibits like Momofuka’s recreated backyard shack that started it all. From those tiny walls, Ando toiled away for over a year before he was able to create instant ramen. Curving around the shack was another cool exhibit depicting all the high points and accomplishments Ando had ushered in as the creator of an entire instant ramen industry and CEO of Nissan Foods. One of those was the creation of the iconic cup of noodles in 1971, which helped instant ramen go worldwide.
As ramen lovers, we enjoyed the Cup Noodles Museum. Afterward, we headed back to Ikeda station on the Hankyu Line, which is an easy 5-10 minute walk with an Ippudo Ramen House right smack in the middle of the museum and station where we ate dinner at. This ramen house was the same Ippudo brand that we waited 3.5 hours in New York City to try back in the day. So being able just to walk in and sit felt like winning the lottery.
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