The Ramen Museum

Hisashiburi - it means long time no see. Had no interwebs for quite a while, but I'm back for at least a week or so. Next Sunday I move into a flat to share with another Japanese girl and an American from New York...please be like Elaine from Seinfeld, please be like Elaine from Seinfeld, please be like Elaine from Seinfeld...or Kramer, or George, or Newman...

I recently had a haircut which I'm pretty happy with...it's somehow prompted people to actually comment on it too. This old, drunk, Japanese woman last night plopped herself down next to me on the train and started speaking to me in Japanese...then busted out some English which sounded like The Fast Shows Rowley Birkin QC - "but I was very, very drunk". I picked out Oriental Hotel, Onion Soup, Harbour in bits...I think she wanted me to go somewhere. But the funniest thing was when she suddenly said "are you a businessman?" "No..." then she said - "haircut, cute because muzukashi (difficult)". "Mmm, yeah" I nodded.

Works going well anyway, I'm earning some good money and enjoying the kids.

Right now, I feel so free - like a balloon floating into the sky. Which is terrifying and thrilling at the same time. I know these moments here are fleeting so I'm enjoying every one of them!

So...here's one day I spent at a RAMEN MUSEUM:

The use of the word "museum" is very liberal in Japan.

Every make and model of noodles from this company from the 50's to today.

I was naturally very taken with this UFO flavour. Powdered aliens?

AND IKATUN!!!!!!!! Shrimp Pig!!!!! Absolute GENIUS.

The oldest ramen - the first one the company made. I bet you can still eat it.

The highlight of coming to this museum though, is creating your OWN ramen - choose the flavour, and design your own cup. Most people seemed to do an adaptation of the companys logo. I went another way.

Note the whipped cream pooh logo.

It's my new friend Terry Donovan - he's one of the Donovan brothers. Duncan normally doesn't wear a top, so I thought I'd best draw Terry.

Ikatun skating with flowers.

Mmm ok, I'll admit I crappily tried to draw the logo, but failed. So it turned into a UFO spaceship.

Ikatun and UFO saying "Hai, douzo" - meaning, yep, here you are , eat it.

Soo...the two on the left are Nacho and Mio's, and the one on the right is mine.

At least I was able to teach them NOM NOM NOM.

Big ramen model.

It's my line, going into production...

Add flavour.

Chuck a lid on it.

Seal it up...

I'd pay money for that.

The company founder, or something.