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| Instant Noodles
(With Hot Water, You Can Eat It Anywhere, Anytime!) Eaten All Over the World -
"Chicken Rahmen," the World's First Instant Noodles and "Cup Noodle," Instant
Noodles with Cup |
Nisshin Food Products Co., Ltd.,
1958/1971 |
Nisshin Food Products' "Chicken Rahmen," the world's
first instant noodles, quickly acquired the nickname "magic noodles," and rightly
so; it is delicious, easy to cook, reasonably priced, has a long shelf life and
above all, is hygienic. The noodles are prepared simply by pouring hot water onto
them. This ease of preparation has brought Chinese noodles, previously eaten only
at restaurants or stands, into family life. Eight years after the introduction
of Chicken Rahmen Nisshin President Ando, during travels in America, saw people
eating the noodles from paper cups, instead of bowls. This observation led to
Cup Noodle, the world's first instant noodles contained in a cup, in 1971. In
this product, chopsticks are replaced by a fork, and the bowl with a styrofoam
cup. The catchphrase for Cup Noodle was "With hot water, you can eat it anywhere,
anytime!", "The product was a tremendous hit. Cup Noodle vending machines
with hot water service, introduced at about the same time as the noodles, also
experienced a boom; within a year, the number of such machines in Japan reached
20,000. (This number was second only to that of Coca Cola vending machines. )
Presently, more than 30 billion packages of Chicken Rahmen and other instant noodles
are eaten in 80 countries every year. |
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Cup Noodle
at the time its introduction.
(Photo: Nisshin Food Products Co., Ltd.) |
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| Delicious Curry Prepared
in Only 3 Minutes - the Ultimate in User-friendliness "Bon Curry," World's First
"Retort Food" |
| Otsuka Food Co., Ltd. 1968 |
Otsuka Food's "Bon Curry," the world's first "retort
food" (food processed through a special sterilization method)," was born in Kansai.
Presently, this type of food is very popular in Japan. Bon Curry comes in serving-sized
portions, requires only three minutes' heating, and does not soil the cooking
pot. Accordingly, it is no exaggeration to say no one fails in making Bon Curry.
In developing Bon Curry, Otsuka took its cue from the bagged portable meals used
by the Swedish army, as well as from curry packed with transparent film and sold
by measure at Hankyu Kyoei Store, a supermarket chain. Bon Curry, introduced in
1968, was initially contained in transparent bags, which had to be cushioned to
prevent breakage. Later, Otsuka developed the more convenient three-layer aluminum
container. Bon Curry shelf life was also prolonged, from three months to two years.
With these excellent features, the product has set a new standard in the Japanese
food industry. In keeping with its tradition of innovative thinking, Otsuka introduced
a new product named "Ah, A-re Tabeyo (Oh, Let's Eat That!)" in 1995. The product
consists of rice and curry packaged together for simultaneous heating in a microwave
oven. |
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Bon Curry at its introduction in 1968,
packaged in a transparent bag.
(Photo: Otsuka Food Co., Ltd.) |
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| User- friendly and
Quick Ticket Vending Machine - Japan's First Ticket Vending Machine Slotted to
Receive Two or More Coins Simultaneously |
| Osaka Municipal Transportation Bureau, 1993 |
Osaka Municipal subway system has taken the lead in installing
ticket vending machines slotted to receive two or more coins simultaneously. This
machine was developed to facilitate use by children, the elderly and the wheelchair
handicapped. Among the machine's various user-friendly features are a slanted
coin hole (instead of the conventional vertical one); relatively small height
(less than 1m, a reduction of about 30cm); and buttons installed at relatively
low positions. In developing the machine, engineers exhibited Kansaians' traditional
zeal for efficiency. They measured the time required for machine operation; studied
the average number of coins a passenger uses to buy a ticket; widened the coin
to the extent permitted by the basic machine design; determined the optimum number
of coins to be received simultaneously, to save time; and examined various other
design details. Presently, a total of 407* newly designed vending machines have
been installed in the stations of Osaka Municipal subway and New Tram (ICTS, Intermediate
Capacity Transit System). Installation of the new machines has also commenced
in stations of privately owned railways.
*As of October 1, 1995
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New ticket vending machine, slotted
to receive more than one coin at a time.
(Photo: Osaka Municipal Transportation Bureau) |
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