July 7, 2025 - Touching the Tokyo Sky

 We headed to the neighborhood of Shibuya to go to the top of the Shibuya sky. It’s the tallest building in the area and has a wonderful almost park like roof that for a fee one can enter. The views, despite the summer haze and humidity, were stunning. OK, time for the crochity old man rant, the Sky had lots of “influencers” dressed to impress looking wistfully over the skyline while taking twenty minutes of arranging clothes, posing, and finding the perfect backdrop just to seem contemplative and natural. This really is an emotionally manipulative and completely fake “candid” photo for instagram. I’ll take the selfie of myself, disheveled, hot and sweaty, but with a genuine smile on my face.  Contemplative moments are private to me, but the joy of seeing the skyline puts a real smile on my face and that is instagram worthy to me. 

Shibuya Sky - view of the whole wide world!

Shibuya crossing from 43 floors up. Shibuya crossing is the most heavily crossed intersection in the world!

Here we are at the top of the world looking over the amazing urban sprawl that is Tokyo, the most populace city in the world.

After the sky, off to Yokahama to see the Cup Noodle Museum. Yosiell opted to sit this one out but Rusty and took the train to what we were sure would be a kitschy but fun museum. When we got off the train, it turns out there was a sky tram to save us the twenty minute walk to the museum. Pricey ride but worth it to save us from a hot and humid late afternoon walk. 

Yokahama tourist fun. The sky tram was random but very much appreciated to avoid a tweny-thirty minute walk in the heat and humidity.

Excellent view from the tram.

The museum was interesting but not only for the story of how Cup Noodle was developed but the museum really highlighted the innovation aspect and encouraged innovation around the world I think had this been an American museum we would have seen a much bigger emphasis o the rugged individualism of the inventor and not as much on how innovation can help the community. Good times at the museum and at the end I have a greater appreciation of instant noodles. 

Step 1 design your own Cup Noodles container. Wonderful artists for sure. 

Step 2: Conveyor belt puts the cup over the noodles upside down. 

Step 3: And turns it right side up before pushing noodles into the cup. 

Step 4: Add ingredients, seal, and shrik wrap. I'll update you on how mine turned out with the choosen ingredients. 

Step 5: Over packing for international transport! 

Taking. abreak from making our own Cup Noodles for a snack and some drinks. Cute multi-cultural cafe in which one can order different style noodles from around the world.

Side note: Cup O’ Noodles was actually developed by the original inventor of instant noodles (Nissan Foods) Momfuku Ando in 1973. This was an effort to expand into the American market. Americans would most likely not eat instant noodles if they had to put it in a bowl and use chopsticks, so Cup O’ Noodles were invented to meet the criteria of the American consumer. 

Historical Cup Noodles. Very 70's,

My favorite instant noodle packaging.

August 25, 1958 the birth of Instant Noodles.

The Nissan foods product timeline.

So many products from so many countries. Who knew when I was eating Top Ramen in college all those nights that I was a part of Japanese History and Innovation.

After a long day, we returned to Ueno, had dinner and some shaved ice and got ready for a long trip home coming up the next day. 

The Kanji character for shaved ice...the best shaved ice? Matcha with sweet condensed milk and with sweet adzuki beans.