Celebrating its 31st anniversary in 2025, the New Yokohama Ramen Museum (hereinafter “Ramen Museum”) is a unique “ramen museum” that requires an admission fee, but every bowl of ramen is deliciously worth it. JapanRar will guide you through the best ways to enjoy the Ramen Museum.
About New Yokohama Ramen Museum
Opened on March 6, 1994, the New Yokohama Ramen Museum is the world’s first ramen-themed amusement park, celebrating its 31st anniversary in 2025. Its concept is to “taste ramen from across Japan without boarding a plane.” As of March 2025, it hosts 8 ramen shops.
As a “food culture museum,” the Ramen Museum offers more than just dining. It features a ramen culture and history exhibit, a “Super Noodle Lab” for crafting custom cup noodles, and a traditional noodle-making experience (reservation required). Here, you can enjoy ramen from multiple perspectives.
First Visit? Try the Signature Ramen
For first-time visitors, we recommend starting with each shop’s “signature ramen”:
■ Komurasaki (Kumamoto): King Ramen (Tonkotsu)
A mainstay since the museum’s opening, Komurasaki serves Kumamoto-style tonkotsu (pork bone) ramen with a creamy broth blending pork and chicken bones.
The signature “King Ramen” features a light broth, straight thin noodles, and finely chopped, slow-roasted garlic chips for a flavorful accent. The noodles are slightly thicker and chewier than Hakata ramen.
■ Ryu Shanghai Honten (Yamagata, Akayu): Akayu Spicy Miso Ramen (Miso)
From Yamagata’s Akayu, Ryu Shanghai Honten’s signature “Akayu Spicy Miso Ramen” boasts a rich broth and extra-thick, hand-kneaded curly noodles. The miso broth, made with pork, chicken, and fish, is topped with adjustable spicy miso paste. The hearty homemade noodles ensure a satisfying meal.
■ Rishiri Ramen Miraku (Hokkaido, Rishiri Island): Grilled Soy Sauce Ramen (Shoyu)
Located on Hokkaido’s Rishiri Island, Miraku is an 8-hour journey by plane and ferry, with its main shop open for just 2.5 hours daily, dubbed “Japan’s hardest-to-reach island ramen.”
The signature “Grilled Soy Sauce Ramen” uses premium Rishiri kelp for an umami-packed broth. Add “Rishiri seaweed (150 yen)” for an extra flavor boost.
■ Ryukyu New Noodle Tondo (Okinawa, Naha): Tondo Delicious Salt Ramen New Women’s Flavor (Salt)
Born in 2001 through the Ramen Museum’s “New Local Ramen Creation Project,” Tondo returned in 2015. Its signature “Tondo Delicious Salt Ramen New Women’s Flavor” uses Okinawan ingredients like Yomitan Village’s “Blue Sea” salt, offering a light yet flavorful salt ramen.
■ Asakusa Rairaiken (Tokyo, Asakusa): Ramen (Shoyu)
Founded in 1910, Asakusa Rairaiken sparked Japan’s first ramen boom. Revived through a collaboration with Rairaiken’s descendants, its signature “Ramen” features a light soy sauce broth made with Japanese pork, chicken, vegetables, and dried fish.
■ Rokkakuya 1994+ (Tonkotsu)
A 1994 opening shop, Rokkakuya returned after 30 years as “Rokkakuya 1994+,” symbolizing an evolved version of its original flavor.
The signature “Ramen” features a mild, sweet tonkotsu soy sauce broth with medium-thick straight noodles typical of the Iekei style, paired with classic toppings like chashu, nori, spinach, and green onions. Add rice (small 150 yen, large 250 yen) for the full experience.
■ Hakata Isso (Fukuoka, Hakata): Ramen (Tonkotsu)
Hakata’s popular Isso is known for its rich tonkotsu broth, simmered for hours to extract maximum umami from pork bone marrow, with “fat bubbles” on the surface earning it the nickname “tonkotsu cappuccino.”
The signature “Ramen” pairs perfectly with smooth, flat thin noodles, and 80% of customers order “kaedama” (extra noodles, 150 yen).
■ Ramen Toryumon 2024 Champion Hakata Bunpuku: Light Raw Miso Ramen (Miso)
The 2024 Ramen Toryumon champion, Hakata Bunpuku, is a miso ramen specialist in tonkotsu’s holy land of Hakata, with a limited run until August 2025.
The signature “Light Raw Miso Ramen” blends five unheated “raw miso” varieties into the broth, paired with a mix of flat thick and thin curly noodles made from local “Minami no Kaori” wheat. The tonkotsu-based white broth, infused with Japanese dashi, offers a dual-texture experience.
After enjoying the signature ramen, try side dishes or limited-time specials.
Mini Ramen for a “Ramen-Hopping” Adventure
The essence of the Ramen Museum is “ramen-hopping” across multiple shops! Each offers “mini ramen” perfect for trying 2-3 shops in one visit. Visit on weekday evenings or around 16:00 on holidays for shorter wait times. Check real-time wait times on the official website (https://www.raumen.co.jp/).
Frequent Visits? Get the Annual Digital Pass!
Admission is 450 yen for adults. For multiple visits, the “Annual Digital Pass” (500 yen) is a great deal. Visit three times in a year to upgrade to the “Ramen Museum Club” for free admission the following year.
Custom Cup Noodles: “Super Noodle Lab”
Opened on April 25, 2023, the “Super Noodle Lab” lets you create custom cup noodles. Choose noodles, broth, toppings, lids, and containers via your smartphone, with a base price of 600 yen. Special toppings like hamburger patties or octopus wieners cost extra.
With 58 lid designs, you can even use a photo taken on your phone for a personalized touch. Completion takes about 5 minutes without a wait, or you’ll receive a text notification if there’s a queue, allowing you to explore the museum. For a more authentic experience, book the “Ramen-Making Experience” to handcraft noodles with bamboo.
Immerse in Retro Showa Vibes
The museum’s B1 and B2 floors are themed as a Showa 33 (1958) sunset street, marking the birth of instant ramen. The 77 intricately designed houses create a time-travel experience, perfect for photos.
B1’s “Yuyake Shoten” sells nostalgic candies, while “Kissa & Snack Kateko” offers retro treats like pudding (600 yen, +400 yen for a coffee set). B2’s “CLUB ORION” (12:00–20:30) and “Izakaya Ryoji” (weekdays 17:00, operated at Tondo) are great for a “Ramen Museum drink.”
The 1F “Museum Shop” sells exclusive ramen merchandise and take-home ramen kits from famous shops.
Whether solo, on a date, or with family, the Ramen Museum is a blast. Weekends can have long wait times, so plan ahead.
New Yokohama Ramen Museum
Address: 2-14-21 Shin-Yokohama, Kohoku-ku, Yokohama City
Hours: Weekdays 11:00–21:00, Weekends/Holidays 10:30–21:00 (subject to change)
Closed: Year-end/New Year
Admission: Adults 450 yen, Children/High School Students/65+ 100 yen (passes available)
Access: 5-min walk from JR Shin-Yokohama Station; 1-min walk from Sotetsu/Tokyu Shin-Yokohama Line or Yokohama Municipal Subway Shin-Yokohama Station Exit 10
