Have a Japan rail pass and like castles? Or even better yet, just riding the trains? Have an excuse to go from Honshu through the tunnel to the southernmost main island, Kyushu, and visit Kokura Castle in Kitakyushu.

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Kitakyushu (北九州)

The city of Kitakyushu, which literally means “North Kyushu”, is a fairly recent creation. In the 1960’s, the government combined five municipalities, including the ancient Kokura – what drew me to the area in the first place for Kokura Castle, to create Kitakyushu.

What resulted in nearly a million residents makes it the second-largest city in Kyushu, after it’s prefecture Fukuoka’s capital being first on the southern main island. Kitakyushu is broken up into 区 (ku, wards) similar to Tokyo (thought these are “special” ones, the address system in Japan is interesting).

There is a lot to see in Kitakyushu!

Continuing 100 Famous Castles of Japan

While not one of the original 100 finest, Kokura Castle in Kitakyushu, Japan is included in the second round of the Japan Castle Foundation (日本城郭協会, Nihon Jōkaku Kyōkai) finest castles. What’s that mean for you? You need to have your castle stamp book with you!

Don’t get thrown off though, the castle stamp is at the “Shiro Terrace” (しろテレス）, not the castle keep. This white building is on the castle grounds and serves as a tourism information spot, rest stop, and souvenir (or omiyage shop).

Or if you are like me, I tend to carry around a blank piece of paper and transfer it later. While that technically won’t let me get my “certification”, of getting all of them done, the reason being is that I always have one of my Nikon camera’s (I have 5, my go-to lately has been my D3400 because I like that it’s compact and lightweight) and my Samsung Galaxy 2-in-1 laptop on me. Adding a book starts getting heavy! It also gives me an excuse to go another time, I always learn something new, even if I’ve already been.

Different types of castle stamps

In addition to the 100 famous castles and continuing 100 famous castle stamps, there are also seal stamps similar to what you would get at shrines or temples. At shrines, they are called 御朱印 (Goshuin). The 御 or “Go” (in this case, it can also be pronounced “O” depending on if it’s an on-yomi or kun-yomi reading – Kanji is fascinating) is an honorific precursor. The second character is a word for red and the last means stamp. More on goshuin another time, but please note they are their own thing! I.e. Don’t put non-shrine stamps in your goshuin book.

At castles, you’ll look for something sometimes referred to as 御城印 (gojyouin) or “honorable castle stamp”. Which basically replaces “red” for “castle” but they do have different names depending on where you go. At Kokura Castle there are multiple options for you to purchase, which then you could put in a book similar to a shrine book (see above caution though!). You’ll have even more collecting to do with these ones as there are over 500 castles with 御城印 (gojyouin).

Kokura Castle (小倉城) History

With Kitakyushu’s proximity to the Kanmon strait between Honshu and Kyushu Islands, this area has always been a heavy defense region. While it’s gone by many names over the years, Kokura Castle (小倉城, Kokura-jyou) was originally built in 1602.

I joke that there must have been carrier pigeons that told all the warlords to start building castles at the same time because the timing always baffles me. You’d think that there were social media and “keeping up with the Jones” running rampant.

The main keep and a good chunk of the castle were lost to fire in 1837. The castle itself was fixed by 1839 but they left the keep off for some reason. Maybe to their benefit because in 1866 there was a battle here and they lost the whole castle again.

To top that off, the feudal domains were all abolished in 1871 with the creation of the prefectures. The main keep was brought back in an effort after WWII from the Japanese people to rebuild it. However, they apparently were worried it needed some more pazazz to get tourism going so the design isn’t what it originally looked like with the gables being new.

Special features of Kokura Castle

The style of this construction is called “karazukuri”, unique in that it has no eaves between the 4th and 5th floors of the keep. Whereas most Japanese castles look something like a wedding cake, this one actually has the 5th floor larger than the 4th. And as far as I’m concerned, it’s one of the biggest top floors I’ve ever seen. Not surprisingly, as it is ranked 6th tallest out of all castles in Japan (Osaka Castle is first).

Also interesting to note, if you get the pleasure to visit, is the stone wall for the castle is all-natural, no hand-hewn stones like you’ll see on some others. This is called 野面積み (nozurazumi). Makes you wonder if that was on part of sympathy for the workers, “hey, you just have to stack them this time! No carving!”. Putting together these massive structures 400 years ago, even as an engineer, always impresses me.

Curious about castle wall building? NHK has a great program on-demand called “Samurai Wall” about the 15th-generation (!!) Japanese stonemason Suminori Awata using this style of construction for the Rolex building in Dallas, Texas. It’s part of my ever-growing list of documentaries and shows about Japan and fascinating to watch the tradition being brought to America.

Inside Kokura Castle

I personally have great disdain for concrete reconstructions of castles, and much prefer when the time was taken to “do it up right”, like Kakegawa Castle. However, there are a wide range of interiors for the concrete castles, and this one I like. On the bottom floor, you’ll find a small theater which goes over the history of the castle in about 10 minutes.

Also on the first floor is an area to dress in feudal clothing and take pictures!

The 2nd through 4th floor act as a museum telling you about the fuedal lord and area battles. The 4th floor is a rotating exhibit so don’t feel like there is reason not to go in the castle for a second visit!

The 5th floor is a beautiful observation deck of the surrounding city of Kitakyushu.

One plus of reconstruction like this though? Thanks to renovations completed in 2019 for its 60th anniversary, Kokura Castle in Kitakyushu is now more accessible to everyone as there is an elevator to utilize.

How to get to Kokura Castle

If you are primarily visiting the main island of Japan, Honshu, it’s actually not a stretch to reach the city of Kitakyushu, the very tip of Kyushu Island to visit Kokura Castle and the surrounding attractions. From Iwakuni, it is a 70-minute Shinkansen ride to Kitakyushu but only because it’s a “local”-shinkansen from that station (see this post for more on trains). From Hiroshima, it’s an easy 45-50 minute ride.

If you are coming from the Kyushu side, from Hakata (Kyushu’s biggest and busiest train hub) it’s a 15-minute ride on the shinkansen to get to Kitakyushu. The JR Rail Pass is great but don’t forget there are other options besides the full country version, smaller region = cheaper pass.

You’ll want to get off at the JR Kokura station, Kitakyushu’s central station. From there, the signage is very good to Kokura Castle. Some overhead but also look at your feet through the arcade (or Japanese shopping street as they are also known).

If you end up there on a rainy day, there is a path through what has to be one of the largest arcades in Japan that will get you nearly to the castle rain-free. (However, it’s always a good idea to carry an umbrella!) Stop in the Information Booth at the station for a map of Kitakyushu.

One of my top pro-tips – always stop by the tourism centers even if you have a plan while traveling in Japan.

Price to get in

Like most tourist locations in Japan, it pays to look out for grouped discounts, and that’s no different in Kitakyushu! A common ticket for the Kokura Castle, Kokura Castle Garden, and the Matsumoto Seicho Memorial Museum will run you about 700 yen. If you were to get those separately, that’s about the same cost as just the castle and gardens meaning you basically get the museum for free!

However, if you don’t want to go to the museum, I suppose it doesn’t matter, but it also helps if you changed your mind!

Other things to do in the area

1. Kokura Castle Garden

Kokura Castle Garden houses the reconstruction (If you are looking for an “original”, check out Kawagoe Honmaru) of the former residence of the daimyo (lord of the castle) exactly where it once was. Well. after the Hosokawa clan went through the effort of building Kokura Castle and then the Ogasawara clan took over as lord, that is. It’s a beautiful wooden mansion done in the Shoin-zukuri (書院造) style from the Edo period. Which fun fact, is the basis of design for Japanese houses still. It is called a 下屋敷 (shitayashiki) and serves as the castle annex or “second home”.

Kokura Castle Garden also includes a re-creation (I feel like I had to check that spelling too many times! All of my Japanese studies messes with my English sometimes!) of a traditional Japanese garden.

There is also an option for a tea ceremony at Kokura Castle Garden of matcha tea with wagashi, a Japanese confectionary that if you’ve never had one, is a perfect accompaniment.

If tea ceremonies intimidate you due to having to sit “seiza” (正座, is kneeling/sitting with the tops of your feet straight on the floor and takes some getting used to), you’re in luck! At Kokura Castle Carden Tea House, the tea is served while you are 立礼席 (ritsureiseki). Ritsurei by itself means a “standing bow”, so here you are sitting at a short table and chairs versus a typical tatami mat setting.

It is also possible depending on when you are there to see the actual tea making part or you can just enjoy tea and your sweet.

In the other side of the mansion from the tea house is a small museum about the Ogasawara Family highlighting their love of martial arts and etiquette.

2. Matsumoto Seicho Memorial Museum

On the Kokura Castle grounds, you will also find the Matsumoto Seicho Memorial Museum (松本清張記念館, Matsumoto Seichō Kinenkan). It feels slightly random but it’s common to put museums and/or government buildings on castle grounds. The Matsumoto Seicho Memorial Museum, if you couldn’t guess from the name, is dedicated to the life and work of Matsumoto Seicho. While perhaps not known to all foreigners, Matsumoto Seicho was the winner of the Akutagawa Literary Prize and known as one of the best detective authors in Japan.

Some of his more famous works that have been translated into English include “Inspector Imanishi Investigates” and “Points and Lines” but he wrote something like 1000 stories over his career. The museum is located here as he spent the first half of his life in Kokura and Kitakyushu.

The museum boasts giving wide insight into his works and even has moved his office from his home in Tokyo to see but honestly, though I had the pass to get in basically for free, I spend so much time in the castle and gardens that I didn’t have time to go so if you do, let me know what you think! It’s still on my list for next time.

3. Yasaka Shrine (八坂神社)

Immediately next to Kokura Castle on the other side of the moat, you will find Yasaka shrine (八坂神社). It is a branch of Yasaka Shrine located in the Gion district of Kyoto. If you are searching for it, make sure the address is Kitakyushu! As such, it was originally named 祇園社 (Gion shrine) like its namesake in Kyoto.

The name was eventually changed but the name of its 例大祭 (reiteisai, literally the “regular big festival”) did not. The Kokura 祇園祭 (Gion Festival) has been taking place since the 1600s. It’s the third weekend in July every year and while the Gion Festival in Kyoto takes place around the same time, the one at Kokura Castle is also well known.

The stone lanterns and shrine gate are designated as Prefectural Cultural Properties. It’s interesting that there is such a wide range of intellectual property designations!

4. Local Shopping Streets

On the way to Kokura Castle, there are three local shopping streets in Kitakyushu for you to explore: Kyomachi Gintengai (京町銀天街), Uomachi Gintengai (魚町銀天街) and Tanga Ichiba 旦過市場. They all sort of run into each other but you’ll see reference to the name changes if you look. They’ve been shopping areas for centuries and made up part of the path from the castle to the port…

The Gintengai part on the two first means, literally, “silver ceiling town” and harkens to the arcade’s above that cover the walkways. The aforementioned nice covered pathway to get you where you need to go in the rain! When Uomachi’s (literally fish town, which is what they sold in the olden days) arcade was completed in 1951 it was the first in Japan to span a street.

While Kyomachi Gintengai and Uomachi Gintengai have a lot of various shops, Tanga Ichiba is to this day known as “Kitakyushu’s kitchen” with lots of food specialty stores. You’ll find lots of restaurants and izakayas (Japanese bars) spread throughout.

5. Kokura Sign at Kokura Illumination

When there is a sign, of course, you get your picture with it! Pop-out from under the shopping arcades and use Ogaibashi (鴎外橋, named after another famous author) to cross over to Kokura castle during the Kokura Illumination (小倉イルミネーション) and you’ll find this sign along with some of the illumination pathway lights. I’d think it is probably up year-round but don’t quote me on that.

There are winter illuminations all over Japan to explore! Not only that but Kitakyushu is known for some of the best nighttime views in Japan. A non-profit called “New Three Major Night Views of Japan and the 100 Night Views of Japan Club (新日本三大夜景・夜景100選事務局)” decided on “the New Three Major Night Views of Japan (新日本三大夜景)” (new because there already was a list of three) and Kitakyushu from the surrounding mountains is one of them.

6. Kanmon Pedestrian Tunnel

Part of the reason I made the trek over to Kokura Castle, minus the fact that it’s one of the 200 famous castles of Japan, is to take the shinkansen through the undersea tunnel that leads from Honshu to Kitakyushu. Or I suppose it’s the under-strait tunnel, since it’s the Kanmon Strait (関門海峡, Kanmon-kaikyō) it goes through.

Ah! But while writing this post I found there is a pedestrian undersea tunnel?! It’s 780 meters long and runs in line with the car tunnel above it. At the middle you’ll find signs to show you the split between Fukuoka and Yamaguchi prefectures.

It’s on my list. Would you walk it? It ranges from 55 to 60 meters below the surface!

7. Kitakyushu Manga Museum (北九州市漫画ミュージアム)

Many of my friends, as well as myself back in elementary school, first became interested in Japanese culture from watching anime or reading manga. While I tend to watch lots of Crunchyroll and not read as much manga, I still pick up manga from the local stores frequently.

The Kitakyushu Manga Museum is near the Kokura train station and highlights local artists. There’s also a manga reading corner which reminds me of manga cafes – which you should check out just for the experience.

Oh, and look out while you’re walking around Kitakyushu, there are a few character statues hanging around.

Kitakyushu’s local food specialties

This post is just touching on the tip of the iceberg, there’s plenty more in the area to spike your interest. A quick note on food – Kitakyushu’s local specialties include Yaki-udon and Yaki-curry, as well as many local fish cuisines like nukamiso-daki, which is miso on fish that’s been stewed in soy and mirin. Oh, and there are about 100 cows annually that pass the stringent requirements to be called Kokura Beef if you are looking for some wagyu.

I don’t know how to tell you this. Ok, I’ll just come out with it. You WILL miss something when you go to visit teamLab Borderless if you don’t go in with a plan. It’s inevitable, with 10,000 square meters (!) of basically a maze with hidden pathways, it’s a game just to find everything! But that’s not all, take a guess about why it’s named “Borderless” and it might clue you in further.

What makes Kristen Abroad a good place to start on your knowledge learning? I’ve been to multiple teamLab exhibits around the world, but most importantly, I’ve been to Borderless three times with the sole goal of helping attendees have the best experience.

First: Who is teamLab?

I know for me, teamLab is all over my Facebook feed ads (by the way, have you followed my page? You know you want to) but that’s perhaps because I live near two of their major installations in Tokyo (teamLab Borderless and teamLab Planets). So, if you haven’t heard, they are an interdisciplinary art collective founded in 2001. They have installations all over the world combining the work of artists, engineers, architects, programmers, animators… you get the drift. Mathematicians even! Yes, because these exhibits are so complex.

The art? Digital and sensory overloads, in the most intense, amazing ways possible. These aren’t just moving, interactive lights. Sound, touch, SMELL, discovery is all part of the play. Their goal is

“explore a new relationship between humans and nature, and between oneself and the world through art “

teamLab

and by damn, they succeed.

teamLab Borderless: Get your tickets early

If you go on a weekday, there may be tickets at the door but it’s best not to chance them being sold out. While teamLab Planets has set windows when you can enter, teamLab Borderless is free game. However, you do need same-day tickets. Tickets for the following month go on sale at the middle of the current one.

They’re easy enough to get on their website. Or you have the option to get them at the machines at your local コンビニ (konbini, Japanese for convenience store).

Go the website route and you’ll be able to change your ticket date up until 9am on the original day of admission. Beware though, you risk them not having any for when you reschedule.

Once you check-in, you’ll be asked to turn your screen to full brightness for the machine. Tickets are on the high side at 3,200 yen but trust me, it’s worth the splurge.

When to enter teamLab Borderless

Since it’s a free-for-all, I suggest getting there right away. Especially if you want people-less photos. Officially, doors open at 10 am. The lines get crazy early though so don’t be surprised if you show up at 9:30 am and they have already let some groups go in!

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By early afternoon you can expect to see a line around the building. Not a great place to be when it‘s in the hotter months of summer! I suggest you embrace the parasol culture of Japan to help in this case!

TeamLab Borderless opens every day at 10 am and on weekends and holidays closes a little later (2100 vs 1900). It’s closed on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday. Last entry is an hour before but you need WAY more time than that.

How much time do you need?

I would give yourself at least three hours to fully enjoy all of the different exhibits. When you count the fact that some of the rooms contain multiple works of art or color schemes, there are more than 70 different pieces split into the five sections of the museum: A Borderless World; Athletics Forest; Future Park; Forest of Lamps; and the En Tea House.

A Borderless world contains nearly 50. Athletic Forest in comparison is 8 distinct pieces. And when they say “athletic” they mean it! Look for slides, trampolines and climbing features. Future park has 5 pieces and Forest of Lamps has about 10 different color sequences.

What do you mean, “the art is moving”?

Yes, ah-ha! We’re into why it’s “teamLab Borderless”. The engineering and ingenuity that had to go into this 10,000 sq. meters is ASTOUNDING. Got to get something out of those 500+ computers and 450+ projectors after all!

The art moves. As in, it doesn’t feel like being in that room anymore…so it walks down the hall. That’s really the best way to describe it! To the extent that one room will “clear out” until they (yes, “they”, it may as well be alive!) decide to come back.

My favorite is probably crows, they go everywhere (even technically into the Light Cave) and make sure you see both the Cave and the Nest when the Crows are in!

Don’t miss interacting with the art

I’m not just talking in the Athletic forest, where there’s things (art) to climb on, jump on, roll around and slide down. All of which interact. There’s rooms where you can move play pieces and basically effect these little gnomes lives. Catch trees on fire! It’s ridiculous and so much fun.

In other spaces, such as the Light Cave, the Crystal World, Memory of Today’s Topography and the Forest of Lamps, make sure you read the information before heading into the room. It will give you tips on how best to interact with the art.

In other areas, the sensory technology allows the digital water to flow around you and oh, so much more. Stand in one place and you’ll start flowers sprouting.

Speaking of flowers

Don’t miss “En Tea House”, the tea house on the second floor. One, the tea is outstanding, and two, it interacts with you as well. Have tea? Make flowers. As long as there is tea in your cup, you can make infinite flowers.

It doesn’t open until 1 hour in so no need to rush. Note that it is an additional 500 yen cost so don’t stick your wallet in the lockers or bring some yen with you!

Your options on beverage are green tea or green tea with yuzu (a Japanese citrus fruit). Either hot or cold.

Getting around

I would go so far as to say that running your hands along the wall isn’t a bad way to go. The doorways are curtains and with the aforementioned art running around all over the place, it’s hard to see them sometimes. Trust me, you’re going to be distracted by a wild cat or bunny hopping around. Or a procession of frogs marching to some festival.

There are two “main” floors, Borderless World takes up the first level with everything else upstairs. With that being said though, there are some lofted areas you can find. Another tip? Familiarize yourself with the exhibits and make yourself a mental note so you don’t miss anything.

I wasn’t lying at the beginning though

Don’t beat yourself up if you DO miss something. In fact, expect you will and then you won’t be disappointed ;). By default, even if you most definitely get to all of the rooms, in one day, you won’t be able to see everything that happens.

This art learns, after all. And depending on how people interact with it, it changes.

Tips on the rooms in teamLab Borderless Tokyo

A few observations to help:

• There are three places that develop lines: Crystal World; the Nest; and The Forest of Lamps; hit those early.
• The Forest of Lamps will not progress through all of the colors while you are in there. If you want to get a wide range of pictures, I suggest sucking it up and standing in line more than once.
• Get the app for the Crystal world and get there early so you’re not trying to use it with 100 of your newest friends. You can directly affect the patterns in the room. There is also a back corner that has a displace console!
• The Laser Cave has over 10 different patterns or “shows” it goes through, each a different piece of art. Expect to spend 20 minutes to see them all. Also read the instructions – it’s best viewed from the middle of the room.
• Go back to the same rooms you’ve been to from a different angle, you’ll probably find a passage you missed. Also, go back just because they will undoubtedly be changed!

No big bags or tripods

Or selfie sticks for that matter. You’ll just have a phone or camera and check your other things before you go in. There are lockers provided at the front but they are only really big enough for a normal-sized backpack. If you have something bigger, try the lockers at the train stations.

If there is anything you need, take it on your person! You won’t be able to reenter once you leave and the lockers are outside in the lobby.

Ladies with dresses

There are lots of mirror floors in here. Never fear though! They will give you apron like skirts to wear before you enter a space that you’d risk getting up-skirted at. Does that count if you could just photo the floor? Downskirted?

How to get there

The MORI Building DIGITAL ART MUSEUM is located in Odaiba, Tokyo. Don’t get it confused with the Mori Art Museum, which has great art exhibits as well, but is located on the other side of Tokyo in Roppongi. teamLab Planets is ALSO located in Odaiba so make sure you have the correct tickets and are in the right spot.

There are two stations nearby, Tokyo Teleport Station on the Rinkai Line and Aomi Station on the Yurikamome Line. Head toward the big Ferris wheel and you’ll start seeing signs.

Nearby Attractions

Once you’re done at the exhibit (they WILL eventually kick you out), there is a lot to do in Odaiba! Enough that you could get a hotel and stay for a few days. Just to name some:

• Venus Fort right next door reminds me of the Bellagio with its Roman-themed shopping. During winter 2018-19, teamLab had a temporary exhibit here!
• Lifesize Gundam Statue (it moves on the hour) and the Gundam Cafe
• Miraikan – The National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation – actually where I first learned about teamLab!
• Fuji Television Building has exhibits and an observation deck
• Legoland Discovery Center Tokyo
• Tokyo’s “Statue of Liberty”
• teamLab Planets
• Tokyo Big Sight – There is always a convention of some sort going on and if you are an anime fan, it’s a pretty iconic and recognizable Tokyo landmark.
• Food options on the island (it’s man-made, by the way) are mainly in the malls. Plenty of options though!
• There in March? AnimeJapan is one of the largest anime conventions in Japan and a great treat for a look into the culture!

Where else in the World?

Along with an ever expanding list of temporary exhibitions (including the upcoming on in Kyoto), teamLab has permanent exhibitions in the following locations. So if you aren’t making it to Japan quite yet for their pride and joy, there’s others to see around the world!

• Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney
• Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide
• Asian Art Museum, San Francisco
• Asia Society Museum, New York
• Borusan Contemporary Art Collection, Istanbul
• National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
• Amos Rex, Helsinki

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I’ve come across many food “attractions” in Japan.  One of those, is the CupNoodles Museum, or as Yokohama’s Official Visitor Guide calls it “an interactive food education facility”. The first time I heard about the CupNoodles Museum, I had to see for myself.  A whole place dedicated to instant ramen?!  How is that even possible?  Not only that but you can make your own Cup Noodles!

I’ve been more times than I can count, definitely a good addition to a day trip to Yokohama. There is also one in Ikeda City in Osaka Prefecture, the birth place of instant ramen! Great for taking visitors if you live in Japan.

History of CupNoodles

Momofuku Ando was definitely a man of resilience. He had many ideas and inventions over the years, successes and out right failures. His biggest claim to fame and what stuck was that he’s the inventor of instant ramen. In 1958, a ramen you could just add hot water to became an instant success. You probably know the block iteration everyone jokes that college kids live off.

It wasn’t until after a visit to America that he came up with the idea for CupNoodles. Yes, us silly American’s had no idea how to eat ramen so the managers broke them up and put them in a cup. Voila, the idea for CupNoodles! In 1971, this creation spread instant ramen to the rest of the world.

CupNoodles Museum Yokohama

The museum starts with a display of EVERY CupNoodles product from the very beginning (including the block ones!).  This fills an entire room and makes you want to add eating all the different flavors to your list of life goals.

After getting all hungry you move on to “Momofuku Theater” where you watch a cute video “hosted” by a cartoon version of Momofuku Ando. Don’t worry, there are headsets in multiple languages so you can follow along. It’s a very motivational video with a great message of “don’t give up!” and “think outside the box!”.

Figuring out how to get the noodles correctly in the cup was a challenge and he eventually figured out to put the cup over the noodles instead of the other way around. There’s a lot of art to showcase this as you continue on the 2nd floor.

The 2nd floor acts as the museum complete with art and a timeline. If you didn’t get enough information out of the film, there is plenty of additional information here for you.

My CupNoodles Factory: Make your own!

Head upstairs to the third floor and you can make your very own specialized CupNoodles! Don’t be surprised when this turns out to be the best CupNoodles you’ve ever had. I don’t know if its because they are so fresh or it’s just because you make your own combination, but it’s amazing. Don’t just leave these as display — eat them! While I much prefer a great bowl of Tonkotsu Ramen, this is the best instant ramen I’ve ever had.  Side note: The Cupnoodles in Japan overall are much better tasting than the ones in the US.

First things first, create your own artwork on the styrofoam cup.  The one on the very right is mine.  The date not only commemorates your visit but also as these were made fresh (they do make every effort to sterilize, etc.), you want to eat them within a month.

Next step, you see how the noodles get perfectly in the cups. Remember I said that was an issue early in production? You add them yourself by a hand crank.

Add your broth flavor (original, seafood, curry or tomato) and up to four different toppings.  Toppings range from different dehydrated vegetables, meats, seafood and spices like garlic.

Finally, you see how the packaging works, seal the top and saran wrap the cup. Don’t forget to place your cup in an air bubble to show case it off while you ride the train or walk around Yokohama. This also keeps it protected.

CupNoodle Museum: Other things to do

Head to the fourth floor for what they call the “Noodle Bazaar” where you can try different noodle dishes from around the world. It reminds me a lot of the Ramen Museum, also in Yokohama, without the Disneyland-esque styling.

Want to try a few? They offer two size bowls.  For the kids, there’s “CupNoodle Park” which is a play ground to run off some of those carbs! There is also a gift shop on the ground level to buy all your Cupnoodles paraphernalia.

There is also an offering to make your own noodles. From scratch. Pretty sure this is only offered in Japanese and I’m honestly not sure how to get in on it but is something I’d like to do in the future.

Getting Here

The museum is open from 1000-1800 most days of the year. Admission is 500 yen for entry. If you would like to make your own in the My CupNoodles Factory (do it!), you’ll sign up for a time when you get your admission tickets. Each cup is 300 yen and you pay for that at the attraction.

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