Nissin Foods opened the newest cup noodle museum in Yokohama, Japan last Saturday, September 17, 2011. This is the company’s second museum after the they opened one in Osaka in 1999. About 500 adults and kids celebrated the opening of the 10,000 square meters multi-storey museum, including celebrity guests and business tycoons from Japan and one of the country’s former prime minister, Junichiro Koizumi (2001-2006).
Koki Ando, Nissin Foods Holdings president, opened the place as a museum factory to give children and visitors the experience of creating their own tasty version of noodles, and for corporate activities as well. Visitors can knead flour, and roll out, steam and fry noodles to make ramen. Museum guests watch the children in aprons while they make their own noodles. In another area called “My Cup Noodle Factory, visitors can design their own noodle cups and choose toppings and broth for their own cupped meal version. The museum exhibits packages of Nissin instant noodles from different countries. There is also a play area for kids made of giant cup noodle containers.
Instant noodles were invented over 50 years ago after the second world war by Koki Ando’s late father, Momofuku Ando. Chicken ramen noodles were sold in bag in Japan in 1958. The cupped version with pre-cooked noodles in a waterproof styrofoam container was launched in 1971. In 2005, Nissin supplied vacuum packed instant noodle version called “Space Ram” to a Japanese astronaut aboard in a US space shuttle. At present, different versions of instant noodles are manufactured and sold around the world.
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