In 2014, we visited the Cup Noodles Museum in Yokohama, where we participated in the Chikin Ramen Factory Workshop, making the original instant ramen by hand. Fast forward to 2021, and the first Cup Noodles Museum outside Japan opened in Hong Kong.
In 2023, we visited to participate in the Demae Iccho Factory Workshop. Originating in Japan in 1969, Demae Iccho entered the Hong Kong market the following year. Over time, it has evolved into one of the most favoured instant noodle brands in Hong Kong, boasting a diverse range of flavours.
Exhibition Areas
In contrast to the expansive Cup Noodles Museum in Yokohama which occupies its own multi-storey purpose-built building, the Hong Kong venue is notably more restrained and occupies only half a floor of a small shopping centre. The exhibition venues consist primarily of a corridor with displays chronicling the company’s history and the philosophy behind its inception by the founder.
The Innovation Journey of Momofuku Ando
CUPNOODLES MUSEUM Hong Kong pays tribute to Momofuku Ando, who dedicated his entire life to thinking about food in new and creative ways.
The Museum also aims to immerse visitors into the innovation journey of Momofuku Ando that changed the food culture of the world.
The Spirit of Our Founder
The four tenets propounded by our founder Mr Momofuku Ando form the foundation of our Group Philosophy and serve as the enduring values of the Group.
Peace will come to the world when there is enough food
Food is the most important pillar supporting human life. People can discuss culture, art and ideas only when they have sufficient food. If the supply of food is disrupted, a country is bound to decline and conflict invariably occurs. The business operations of Nissin Foods Group orginated from this basic human principle.
Create foods to serve society
Creativity is the most important thing of all for a company. It means the power to create innovative products through new ideas and technologies. Nissin Foods Group creates foods to serve society. We are creating a new food culture and providing people all over the world with happiness and inspiration.
Eat wisely for beauty and health
The desire to satisfy hunger and the taste buds is a common human instinct. However, it is not the only role of food. Food is also important for forming strong bodies and maintaining health. Since a beautiful, healthy body is the product of a sensible diet, Nissin Foods Group pursues food functionality and advocates a wise diet.
Food related jobs are sacred profession
Food production is an occupation that supports the very essence of life. For this reason, those who work in the food industry must have a pure spirit that inspires them to serve society and contribute to human health and world peace. Working with food is a sacred profession, and it is the mission of the Nissin Foods Group to provide the world with safe to eat, delicious, and healthy food.
1958 – Invention of Instant Noodles
Inspiration strikes in the most unexpected places!
In the early 1950s, Japan was suffering from food shortage. Mr. Momofuku Ando saw many peoplo had to stand in long Imos m tho cold for a bowl of noodles at ramen stores. “Peace will come to the world when there’s enough food,” he reckoned.
“I want to create ramen that can be quickly prepared at home with only hot water!” Then in a small shed built in his backyard, he spent an entire year experimenting alone. The biggest obstacle was finding ways to dry tho noodles so that the noodles can be stored for a long time. As hard as he tried, there seemed to bo no solution in sight.
Then one day, he saw his wife, Masako, was making tempura and that’s when the idea of flash-frying hit him. “Flash-frying” means the use of hot oil to force out the moisture in noodles. These noodles, which were nearly completely dehydrated, did not deteriorate or decompose even when stored for a long time. Hot water poured over the noodles was absorbed through the tiny holes made during dehydration and penetrated the noodles, restoring them to their ongmal softness.
This was how Mr. Momofuku Ando changed the global dietary orfture!
On 25 August 1958, Chicken Ramen, tho world’s first instant noodles, was launched. Since Chicken Ramon is ready to eat in just two minutes after adding hot water, it was dubbed the “magic ramen”. Some 13,000,000 packs were sold in the frst year!
1971 – Creation of Cup Noodles
Go Global, Challenge the Impossible
In 1966, Mr Momofuku Ando had a trip to Europe and the U.S. to introduce “Chicken ramen” to local supermarket managers. The managers split the noodles into pieces, put them into paper cups, and then poured in hot water and ate with forks. He then came to realise that there are differences in eating habits between cultures as western people do not use bowl or chopsticks. This experience inspired him to develop a new product “Cup Noodles” – noodles in a cup that can be eaten with a fork, and made instant noodles a food that can be enjoyed worldwide.
The first step of developing Cup Noodles was to prepare the cotnainer. The ideal container he had in mind would be in cup-shaped suitably for holding in one hand. After production of nearly 40 prototypes, an innovative cup combining package, cooking utensil and serving dish into one container was made.
Middle Retention – Filling the cups with noodles was another challenge. Mr Ando came up with the idea of making the noodle cake larger than the bottom of the cup and suspending it in the middle of the cup. The noodles can be fixed firmly inside the cup, preventing from breaking during transportation.
Reverse Assembling Method – However, when Mr Ando actually tried putting the noodles into the cups, they would tilt or tip over. The thought about the problem all the time. One night when he had gone to bed, the ceiling seemed to spin and he had a flash of insight. The answer was not to drop the noodle cake into a cup, but rather to turn the cake upside down and place the cup face down over it. This counter-intuitive idea solved the problem and mass production was made possible.
Go Global – Cup Noodles, the world’s first cup-type instant noodles, was released in 1971. Now, Cup Noodles is available in more than 80 countries and regions. In March 2016 , the year of its 45th anniversary, Cup Noodles achieved the landmark 40,000,0000,000 cups sold worldwide.
2005 – “Space Ram” – Ramen for Space
At the age of 95, Mr Momofuku Ando re-invented instant noodles – Space Ram
Under a gravity-free environment, noodles and soup will float in the air, splashing everywhere. Moreover, it is impossible to boil water to 100ºC in space. So, how did Mr Momofuku Ando address these issues so that the noodles do not float, can be cooked and eaten within boiling water, and even the soup will never spill?
The 3 salient features of Space Ram:
- Like may other dehydrated space foods, Space Ram is packaged in a sealed bag. It is prepared filling it with hot water through a small opening of the bag. You can then mix the hot water with the noodles by pressing the bag. Wait for few minutes and the noodles is ready to serve.
- As boiling water is not available in space, the noodles will be made thinner. It is made with a unique combination of flour and starch, so that the noodles could be softened by adding water at 70ºC.
- The soup is thickened to prevent it from overflowing. As such, the ball-shaped Space Ram can also retain its bite-size after reheating.
Mr Soichi Noguchi, the first astronaut who consumed instant noodles in outer space, said: “It is amazing that could eat instant noodles with the same taste as it is on the Earth.”
Cup Noodles Wall
The Cup Noodles Wall displays Cup Noodles from 17 countries which shows the huge variety of packages from around the world.
Ching Chai’s Creative Team
Tasking with the responsibility to bring innovation to life throughout the Museum, Ching Chai will join the crew as Chief Creative Director.
The Big Cup
“The Big Cup” introduces the reverse thinking concept. Mass production of Cup Noodles was only made possible when Mr. Momofuku Ando applied reverse thinking into production.
Factory Workshops
The Hong Kong venue features three workshops:
Demae Iccho Factory Workshop
The Demae Iccho Factory Workshop offers a hands-on experience in crafting Demae Iccho from scratch. The session guides participants through the complete process, including kneading, shaping, steaming, seasoning the wheat flour, and utilizing the flash frying method for drying. The workshop lasts for 90 minutes and is priced at 120 HKD/24 AUD per person.
The wall explains the steps involved in producing Demae Iccho in a industrial factory setting:
- Flour Inlet. Pour in flour
- Mixer. Mix flour and alkaline water to become dough
- Feeder. Feed in the dough
- Press Roller, Flatten the dough into a noodle sheet
- Noodles Slitter. Slit the sheet into noodles
- Steamer. Steam the noodles at high temperature.
- Cutter and Folder. Cut and fold the noodles into 2 layers
- Fryer. Fry the noodles in hot oil to squeeze out the water for long-term storage
- Cooling conveyor. Line up the noodles in running order
- Soup dispenser. Dispense soup base and seasoning packs
- Packing Machine. Pack the noodles individually.
- Weight Checker. Check weight of the product
- Auto Caser. The products are packed into cartons.
For the workshop, the steps were simplified as above.
1. Wash your hands
2. Knead the flour by hand and then with the noodle maker.
3. Thin out the dough sheet using a noodle maker
4. Cut the dough sheet into noodles using a noodle maker.
5. Place the noodles in a colander and steam
5.5. Cut and fold the noodles into 2 layers
7. Flash frying method
Fryer. Fry the noodles in hot oil to squeeze out the water for long-term storage
6. Design your own pack
8. Seal your Demae Iccho.
8.5 Complete
While the Hong Kong venue is less of a museum than a space dedicated to the factory workshops, we found making the noodles at the Demae Iccho Factory Workshop to be comparable in terms of experience and dedication in the staff.
Cup Noodles Museum Shop
The museum shop offers a series of exclusive souvenirs and a variety of Nissin products for sale, including noodles, snacks, desserts, frozen foods, and fresh salad vegetables, with a wide range of styles available. Every Friday, there is a “Nissin Friday BUY & TRY” promotion, where all Nissin products are sold at a special price.
Cup Noodles Museum is located at Shop 26-35, 2/F, China Hong Kong City, 33 Canton Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong.