The museum's formal name is the Momofuku Ando Instant Ramen Museum, and it opened in the Shinko waterfront district of Yokohama's Minatomirai in September 2011. It is built around one man's inventions: Momofuku Ando created instant ramen in 1958 and the cup-served version in 1971. Rather than putting machinery behind glass, the building is arranged as a sequence of rooms about where ideas come from — a theatre, a reconstruction of the backyard research shed, and a wall of instant noodle packages released since 1958. The workshop floors then hand the process back to the visitor. Admission is 500 yen for adults and free for high school students and younger; the hands-on programmes are charged separately.

Background & history

Momofuku Ando invented instant ramen in 1958 and the cup-served version in 1971, and the museum carries his name — the Momofuku Ando Instant Ramen Museum — as its formal title. It opened in the Shinko district of Yokohama's Minatomirai waterfront on 17 September 2011. The permanent rooms trace that arc: a history cube of packages released since 1958, a theatre, and a reconstruction of the small research shed where the first batches were made. It is operated by Nissin, the company Ando founded.

What to look for

licensed photographNatalie Lauer / CC BY-SA 4.0

Instant Noodles History Cube

a wall of package designs running from the 1958 original to the present day

Momofuku's Research Shed

a reconstruction of the small backyard hut where instant ramen was developed

My CUPNOODLES Factory

design the cup, choose one soup and four toppings, and have it sealed in front of you — 500 yen per cup

Chicken Ramen Factory

make Chicken Ramen by hand from flour, from kneading to flash-frying — 1,200 yen for junior high age and older

NOODLES BAZAAR

a food hall of noodle dishes from around the world served in small bowls, 500 yen each

How to enjoy it

Do the paid workshops first and the exhibition rooms afterwards — the making programmes run on limited slots while the exhibits do not. Budget on top of the 500 yen entry: a cup is 500 yen, the Chicken Ramen Factory 1,200 yen for junior high age and above. Leave the NOODLES BAZAAR for last so lunch does not eat your workshop time, and check the day of the week, because the museum is closed on Tuesdays.

How to actually get there

From

Tokyo Stn

Time

~50 min · train + 8 min walk

Get off at

Minatomirai Station (Minatomirai Line)

Tokyo Station → Yokohama Station (JR Keihin-Tohoku or Tokaido Line, ~30 min).

Yokohama Station → Minatomirai Station (Minatomirai Line, 2 stops, ~4 min).

Minatomirai Station → the museum (walk, ~8 min).

JR + Minatomirai Line

Tokyo Station →(JR Keihin-Tohoku or Tokaido Line, ~30 min)→ Yokohama Station →(Minatomirai Line, 2 stops, ~4 min)→ Minatomirai Station →(walk, ~8 min)→ the museum. Total ~50 min. Trains on both legs are frequent, so no timetable planning is needed.

Walk out to Sakuragicho

Sakuragicho Station is about 12 minutes on foot from the museum and puts you on the JR Negishi Line back to Yokohama and Tokyo. Otherwise retrace the Minatomirai Line from Minatomirai or Bashamichi. The museum closes at 18:00, so trains are plentiful whichever way you leave.

Directions from my location (Google Maps) ↗

Before you go

Cash

IC cards (Suica / PASMO) work on every train leg. Admission is 500 yen for adults and free for high school students and younger. The hands-on programmes are paid separately: My CUPNOODLES Factory 500 yen per cup, CUPNOODLES Park 500 yen per 30-minute session, Chicken Ramen Factory 1,200 yen for junior high age and older and 600 yen for elementary students. Bowls at the NOODLES BAZAAR food hall are 500 yen.

Closing days

Closed on Tuesdays — or the following day when that Tuesday is a national holiday — and over the year-end and New Year period. Open 10:00-18:00, with last admission at 17:00.

Another way

Bashamichi Station on the same Minatomirai Line is also about 8 minutes' walk, and Sakuragicho on the JR Negishi Line about 12 minutes, so three stations serve the museum.

After you get off

From Minatomirai Station, walk northeast toward the Shinko waterfront. The museum is a pale, boxy modern building about 8 minutes on foot, a short way inland from the Red Brick Warehouse.