Going to Shin-Yokohama Ramen Museum in Yokohama

(Updated: June 8, 2013 with high resolution photos and new descriptions)

Yesterday Teresa, Lucy, John and Ian and I went to Yokohama to see the Ramen Museum. The Ramen Museum has famous ramen shops from all over Japan located under one roof each serving the local style ramen. The admission price was 300 yen, I checked out the website of the Ramen Museum in before I came and I got the Hakata, Kyushu style ramen from a shop whose main store is base in Fukuoka in Kyushu “ふくちゃん” Fuku-chan with Japanized Char-siu (yes it has the same name as that *other* BBQ pork but tastes totally different) and “Wonton”. I choose this because I liked 日清出前―丁九州豬骨麵 (Tonkotsu Flavor) and I wanted to try the real thing. It was pretty good but I still prefer real Wonton Noodles better, the Wonton Noodles in my opinion tastes better than the Ramen Noodles (I am talking about the actual noodles here, not the entire thing).

I also like the theme setting of the museum which was based on 1950s Japan, it has so much atmosphere, unlike the grey sterile neighbourhoods of today’s Tokyo. There was also a make your own “Cup Noodle” event there, for 300 yen, you can see the manufacturing process of a “Cup Noodle” and can even select your own ingredients to put in the cup. I got a ceramic cup of the with “Cup Noodle” packaging which cost 1029 yen, kind of expensive, but you only go to this place once.

The exterior of the Shin-Yokohama Ramen Museum.









A short film on the invention of instant ramen, the "Chikin Ramen (チキンラーメン)" by Nissin , the original flavour is still sold in Japan today.



Different shapes of the fried noodle.



The machine that was used to make the noodles in the process of inventing instant ramen.



The different types of packaging for the "Chikin Ramen".





A timeline of the instant ramen products produced by Nissin, the company that invented instant ramen.







Entering the themed post-war area of 1950's Tokyo where the ramen restaurants are located.



The main area in this food theme park.









There were stands that sold candy and other snacks commonly sold in the era of 1950's Tokyo.



The restaurants themselves were located in the "alleyways of 1950's Tokyo".



Back in the display section of the ramen museum, instant ramen that was used by Japanese astronauts. Too bad they didn't sell this at the gift shop.



The "My Cup Noodle" limited time attraction where I made my "own" personalized cup of instant ramen, for 300 yen. For reference, one cup of Cup Noodles usually costs 120 yen in a shop or supermarket.



Turning the handle caused the instant ramen noodle to fall into the cup from the conveyor belt.









Next you could pick the type of ingredients you wanted to put into your Cup Noodle. Some of the dried ingredients you could add include: green asparagus, crab, cheese, corn, pork, fish-paste cake, green onions, kimchi, BBQed pork and others.



The machine to add the lid.





The packaging machine.



"My Cup Noodle", the finished product from that process, I ate it today and curry flavor = mmm...









Expensive omiyage (souvenir) from the ramen museum. (高いお土産ですよ)



After that we walked to the Nissan Stadium, it was only after we got there that we realized that it was the site of the 2002 World Cup.









Afterwards we went to Yokohama Chu-ka-gai (橫濱中華街) to walk around, I bought some Moon Cakes from the Heichinrou (聘珍樓) bakery because my aunt who went there in September said the moon cakes were good. It seems that they sell moon cakes year round here unlike everywhere else which only makes them in season. Small one was around 150 yen, big one was around 270 yen. And yes, that is the same Heichinrou restaurant group that appears on that Iron Chef show (if you ever watched any of the Chinese cusine “battles”). I also tried a Char-siu bun from a street vendor here, it was pretty good, tasted exactly the same as back home, but much bigger, but then the price was also bigger, 260 yen.









The moon cakes that I bought.









It was very cold yesterday, we also went on that ferris wheel that is on all the pictures of the Yokohama skyline and it was really nice seeing the nighttime view of Yokohama. The ticket price was 700 yen.

The train fare from the dorm to Yokohama was 620 yen one way.