Instant noodles, also known as instant ramen, is a humble but by no means insignificant part of many people’s lives. This simple invention, though so incredibly cheap and delicious, is the culmination of a multitude of technologies stemming from times of struggle and need, as we learned during our visit to the Nissin Cup Noodle Museum in Yokohama. Dozens of carefully-controlled steps such as steaming, frying, and even freeze-drying condense dozens of ingredients into a handy little packet that allows you to recreate one of Japan’s most iconic dishes virtually anywhere, with just a bit of hot water and a few minutes, and for a ridiculously low price.
Disregarding dietary restrictions, it’s almost impossible to visit Japan and not resort to ramen for a meal; this iconic Japanese dish can be found everywhere, with ramen shops studded throughout every neighbourhood, open during all hours of the day, filling, fast, and relatively cheap. Ramen also comes in all sorts of flavours and varieties, and can be as simple as a plain bowl of noodle soup to one that’s worthy of a Michelin star. With Japan’s innovation, instant ramen aims to recreate all of those experiences, and thanks to the country’s knack for the wild and wacky, it should come as no surprise that the average cup of Nissin noodles is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the instant noodle market in Japan.
We were fortunate enough to have tried multiple instant noodles based on Michelin-starred restaurant ramens, but on the other side of the spectrum are flavours that people don’t normally dare touch – usually for a reason. Having had such delicious food in Japan, we thought it only appropriate that we venture into the realms of the lesser-known, to see if we could find some hidden treasures.
Yakantei (やかん亭)
Yakantei is a store that’s your one-stop shop for instant noodles. The chain has six branches throughout Japan and stocks a huge array of instant noodle flavours, including those that are normally only found in limited parts of the country. The kinds of products you can expect besides standard instant ramen include regional ramens (such as Hokkaido-style miso-based ramen), variations of ramen (such as pork ramen with black garlic or mustard root), themed ramen packets, a few international offerings such as from Taiwan, and some that are just downright bizarre. Obviously, we went for the last option.
Yakantei Website and Online Store (Japanese only)
Asparagus Ramen (アスパラの大地ラーメン) – Hokkaido
This ramen was around ¥290 (US$2.25), and is a light salt-based pork broth with asparagus supposedly incorporated into the flavour. Asparagus from Hokkaido is famous in Japan, and it’s not uncommon for restaurants to develop dishes or upgrade existing ones to incorporate their local speciality ingredients. Asparagus is no exception, and asparagus ramen is actually not all that unusual, with an asparagus noodle being a common dish in Japan’s Yamagata Prefecture. Asparagus is, after all, just another vegetable, even with that distinctly earthy, slightly bitter flavour.
The asparagus did not lend any particular flavour to the soup, which ended up being mostly a salty, pork-flavoured broth. The noodles were thick and chewy, closer to a fresh egg noodle than an instant one. There was nothing all too strange about this instant noodle, which could either have been disappointing or relieving, depending on what you’re expecting.
Ramen with Natto Powder (水戸黄門 葵ラーメン 納豆パウダー付き) – Ibaraki
Natto is a Japanese superfood consisting of soybeans that have been fermented in such a way that the beans are coated in a slimy, extremely sticky goo. It has a pungent aroma and a distinctly bitter flavour and is often eaten with rice for breakfast in Japan. Unsurprisingly, natto is an acquired taste, one that we’ve found we don’t have, so the obvious choice is to eat it in the form of something more enjoyable (i.e., mixed into instant ramen).
One packet is around ¥290 (US$2.25) and comes with a natto powder which is difficult to dissolve, resulting in unappetising floating chunks of powder. The soup is a pork-based soy sauce broth. Besides the saltiness, there is again nothing too unusual in the flavour of this ramen, the natto powder lending a vaguely savoury flavour no less strange than adding fish sauce to a dish. There is none of the bitterness of real natto, so this can be enjoyed by anyone.
Ume Sour Plum and Mayonnaise Ramen (梅マヨらーめん)
Taking yet another combination of beloved Japanese ingredients, this pork-based ramen incorporates both mayonnaise and ume, which is a salted preserved plum that is very much another acquired taste. Our opinion of ume is more favourable than of natto, but it would certainly not be within our list of favourite foods, due to how sour it is. Normally it’s eaten on rice or in a rice ball, where the carbohydrate mitigates the strong flavour.
This brand of mayonnaise ramen happens to be extremely popular at Yakantei, with the pickled plum being a limited edition version, and likely for good reason. The milky soup has pink flecks, a bizarre, floral flavour, and the very unwelcome addition of spice – just a touch, but enough to make this an ungodly experience. It tastes like a food experiment gone wrong, which was definitely within our scope when we were searching for ramen. We would never eat this again, for sure, but it ended up being the most memorable and fun experience during our taste test.
Don Quijote
Don Quijote, or Donki for short, is a discount chain store in Japan that is like a discount store chain anywhere else but on crack. Stepping into one of these stores is an immediate assault on all the senses, from bright colours and displays to the unending, incessant drone of the store jingle that still rings through our heads despite not having visited a store since we returned from Japan three years ago. While Donki is available in a number of countries, the ones in Japan are a treasure trove to visit for a plethora of snacks and souvenirs in one convenient location, all for very low prices. Donki was our place to go if we wanted to look for Japanese Kit Kats, and never disappointed if we wanted a snack souvenir to give to a bunch of friends.
Donki Website (English)
Nissin BIG Cup Noodle Taco Ramen (メクシカンタコス)
We’ve never been to Mexico, so it’s debatable as to whether our Mexican food experiences are authentic or just heavily influenced by the USA Tex-Mex style of food. In any case, we know fake taco flavouring when we see it, and this one was done pretty darn well.
The soup smelled of tomatoes, spices, and capsicum, with a savoury, beefy flavour broth and a tanginess from the tomatoes and a savoury bean flavour. This was Jos’ favourite because it wasn’t all that bizarre but it hit all the right spots in terms of ultra-processed food products.
Peyang Extra Spicy MAX END (ペヤングやきそば激辛 MAX END)
It’s pretty common knowledge that Japanese people can’t handle spicy food, and we witnessed this a few times when a gentleman trying to enjoy his dinner at a table beside us in a diner one evening began politely dabbing his sweaty brow after applying a pinch of red pepper flakes to his meal. It comes as no surprise that when an earthquake hit Hokkaido back in 2018, supermarkets were emptied for all of their long shelf-life food products as people stocked up their food, except for this exact noodle. Having returned from Japan severely craving spicy food, we bought this last product to see how spicy Japan would make their instant noodles.
The flavour of the noodles were pretty good, savoury and a little sweet, similar to how yakisoba (fried noodles) are seasoned in Japan. There is a slight spiciness that builds gradually as you eat, nothing nearly as offensive as Korean fire noodles, but spicy nonetheless. We never managed to finish our box because of how much noodle we’d already had, but we wouldn’t doubt that by the end of it one person could be sweating a little, and those who are more susceptible to spice will likely be reaching for a glass of water.
Overall, despite what we’d considered to be a wide array of instant noodles turned out to be a very tame (if not plentiful) lunch. While we had gone for the stranger options, Yakantei and Donki both offer a huge range of instant noodles, perfect for either a cheap meal back at your accommodation during your trip, or an excellent souvenir for yourself or your friends and family to take a taste of Japan with you. No doubt there would be instant ramen out there that far better suits your taste than the ones we had, so we highly recommend checking out both places, if not for anything more than a look around.
If you’re thinking of visiting Japan we highly recommend getting a Japan Rail Pass and pocket WiFi for stress-free travel! You can check out our post on choosing the best JR Pass for you, or click here to purchase a pass on the JRPass.com website. Purchases made using our affiliate link won’t cost extra, but we earn commissions which help to support us as small creators.
