Yokohama's Cup of Noodle Museum

I went to Yokohama's Cup of Noodle Museum with my friends while I was in Japan this winter. I had actually walked by the museum many times without ever noticing it before! The sign on the side of the building is pretty small.

We arrived around 4:30pm and barely made it before they closed! Actually the only reason we were even allowed in was because I was a foreigner. My friend, Akane, asked if they could make an exception since I had came from America. The people behind the counter discussed it and decided to let us buy our tickets and let us in, thankfully! However, I saw that they turned away Japanese customers right after us and I felt bad...

The entrance fee into the museum cost only 500yen.

When you first go up the stairs into the museum you are surrounded by a display full of hundreds of Cup of Noodle packages with varying flavors and types. There are three walls in chronological order displaying every Cup of Noodle ever created. I was surprised by how many there are!

After the display, there is a small trick art room, followed by information on the history of the company written on the walls. The theme of "not giving up" and "thinking outside the box" to discover new things is receptively expressed.

After we looked around the "creative thinking" rooms for a bit we went to the main attraction—the factory room where you can make your own Cup of Noodles! You are allowed to purchase an empty container for 300 yen. You then are seated at a table where you are given markers so that you can decorate your package. My friends drew some really cute drawings on their's!

After you decorate your package, you stand in line to add the ingredients inside and seal your box. First the employee puts the dried noodles into your box and places it on a machine. You are asked to turn the wheel and the noodles are pushed firmly into the box. After the noodles are inside you are asked to pick from one of the four soup options. Next you are asked which four (out of 12) toppings you would like to add. I believe I chose chicken, peas, corn, and cheese. Your package with the ingredients inside is then put in another machine where the lid is sealed. Once the lid is sealed, your package is put inside a plastic wrapper and is then placed on a conveyer belt. It then goes through a machine that heats the plastic so that it forms to the shape of the Cup of Noodle box. Your own Cup of Noodles is finished! You can also make a carrying case for it afterwards.

I had a lot of fun at the museum with my friends. I hadn't really been interested in going before, but this time I wanted to see what it was all about! The museum was a fun and unique experience. I would like to take my friends or family there in the future if they visited me in Japan. Plus you get a unique souvenir!

You can find more information about the museum on their official website:http://www.cupnoodles-museum.jp/index.html

ペンギンのいるバー Ikebukuro's Penguin Bar

I recently went to Japan again in December to visit my boyfriend for Christmas and New Year's. I had a great time and was so sad to leave.

I had wanted to go to the Penguin Bar in Ikebukuro the year before when I studied abroad and this time I had the opportunity to go! It wasn't as "fancy" as I had expected. But you did have to make reservations in advance. My boyfriend handled that and choose a time during 1 of the 2 penguin feeding times (about 7pm).

My boyfriend, our two friends, and I were seated at a table and were given warm napkins folded into Penguin shapes. They were very cute and I almost didn't want to take it apart to use!

While you can get a set course, we decided against that and just ordered the food we wanted. In the end it was still about 3000 yen ($26) each almost the same price as the course menus.

We all ordered our drinks and then ordered 2 dishes to share amongst the four of us. We got a pizza, a beef dish, and a veggie plater that had a delicious heated sauce to dip the veggies into. The carrots were cut to be penguin shaped. We later also ordered spaghetti since we were still hungry. The dishes were all a little small for four people to share, but probably 1-2 dishes would and been enough food for 2 people.

After we finished eating it was feeding time! We were sited in the front of the restaurant and thus the farthest away from the penguin tank. They would ask a few tables at a time to get up and get in line to feed the penguins. We were one of the last groups to feed the penguins. When I reached the front of the line, there was a lady with a bucket of fish who handed you tongs and told you (in Japanese) to grab the fish by the tail and feed it to the penguin. My boyfriend snapped a photo of me feeding the penguin. I held onto the fish longer than my companions did. Their fish were gobbled up before they could blink! After we fed the penguins we went back to our seats.

The Penguin Bar was fun and an interesting experience. The food was pretty good and about the expected quality of most izakaya (Japanese bars). I did feel the penguins were in a small tank and I thought the glass was extremely dirty. But maybe they are moved to a bigger tank when the restaurant closes and the glass is cleaned every night. While I hope that, I can't say I expect that since I have heard many bad things about animal rights in Japan...

The official website of the penguin bar can be found here http://www.penginbar.jp.