The Momofuku Ando Instant Ramen Museum in Osaka

Taking a break from the normal posts about everyday life here in Iizuka, I wanted to write about a special place. Here's one tourist attraction that I highly recommend for anyone who goes to Osaka, young or old or even those awkward-phase-too-cool-for-school teenagers.

Just a 5-minute walk away from the Ikeda station (池田駅) on the Hankyuu Line (阪急線), you can find the Instant Ramen Museum. They have a pretty impressive display of every cup ramen they've ever put out on the market - we're talking about the "Cup Noodle" brand - but the real reason to check this place out is for 2, and only 2 things:

1. Make your own Chicken ramen.
2. Make your own customized Cup Ramen.

Pictures are always more fun, so enjoy!

Making your Own Chicken Ramen (チキンラーメン手作り体験)

watching an informational video

smoothing out the dough which will be cut into noodles later

taking a break and decorating the packaging

after putting the smoothed-out dough into a separate tool for cutting the noodles, they get deep fried for us

finished!
you also get an extra complimentary pack of ramen and get to keep the bandana as a souvenir

Making your Own Cup Noodle (マイカップヌードル)

buy a styrofoam cup from, of course, a vending machine

decorate it as you like

watch as they put the noodles inside

choose your soup flavor (4 choices) and choose 4 toppings

finished!

You'll notice that their average clientele consist of mothers and their young children, but who cares?!

Aside from these two activities, there isn't really much to check out within the museum other than the display of cup ramens throughout the years and a small resting area where you can buy some cup ramen to eat.

Information:

To participate in the ramen making, you must make reservations in advance by phone. When I attempted to make reservations 1 month in advance, it was booked for the days I wanted, but luckily, someone canceled 2 weeks later, so keep trying if the date you want is booked. Check the site below for information.
http://www.nissin-noodles.com/crworkshop/index.html

The custom Cup Noodle activity is open to all visitors, so no reservation is required for that.

The website below has information on getting there and maps, but like I said above:
Hankyuu Line: Get off at Ikeda Station (阪急線、池田駅) - about 5 min. walk)
http://www.nissin-noodles.com/guide/data.html

And the website in English, or actually, a link to a downloadable PDF in English.
http://www.nissin-noodles.com/english.htm