Oh. My. GOSH!!!!

So today I decided to look around for places of interest in and around Tokyo. Our hotel information for Tokyo has just been released (We're staying at the Hotel New Otani...this place looks awesome...it may be the nicest hotel I will ever encounter, just from the pictures), so I wanted to find out what was in the area. I'll post more on this later, but I have to tell you, in my search for things out of the ordinary, I believe that I may have just hit the jackpot.

It's the Shin-Yokohama International Ramen Museum. (by the way, this site is in Japanese...click on the English bar at the top to open up a detailed brochure about the museum)

Yes, you read that correctly. Yokohama isn't that far away from Tokyo...something like 35 minutes from a major Japan Rail station near the hotel, or I could opt to take a bullet train for about 800 yen more (roughly, that's around $8) and get there in about 15 minutes. Anyway, this museum is a tribute to all that is ramen, and specfically, instant ramen. Apparently you pay 300 yen to get in ($3), and then you go exploring. It's touted as a food amusement park...you go in, explore the museum side, and then there is a two-story exhibit hall designed to recreated the feel of 1950s Tokyo (apparently around the time that instant ramen was born). Here you find shops, an old-school Japanese candy store, and the highlight of 8 ramen restaurants. Apparently these are the creme de la creme of Japanese noodle shops, expressly chosen to be in the museum because of their fame in various parts of Japan. You're supposed to buy at least one bowl there to go along with your admission price. Whatever...I am sure that won't be a problem. But what am I most interested in? The make your own cup-of-ramen stand. Apparently you get to decorate your cup, pick your ingredients, and then it is sealed and packaged up for you to take home. Oh, YES!!! This is fantastic!!!

I figure a trip to the ramen museum would be a good way to incorporate several things into my trip. One, a visit outside Tokyo. Two, a ride on the bullet train, Three, my own cup of ramen? ABSOLUTELY!!! This, I think, is a great idea for an excursion after a day of seminar meetings in Tokyo. Game on!