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With Halloween becoming an increasingly recognized event in Japan, we’re sure to be seeing plenty of products featuring pumpkins, black cats, ghosts and witches in shops across Japan as we enter the month of October. And the instant food market is no exception to the trend, as Nissin Foods, known around the world for their Cup Noodles, come out this month with four unique Halloween-themed instant food products.

That’s right, you can be sure to get a taste of Halloween this year, even if you have no time to cook!

Supermarkets and convenience stores in Japan may feel just a little bit “darker” than usual, as four Halloween items in distinct black packages come on sale from Nissin starting October 5. You’ll be able to choose from cup noodles, risotto, udon noodles and yakisoba noodles, and the packaging even comes illustrated with cute original Nissin characters like “Pumpkin Mask”, “Gourmet Witch” and “Count Dracula”.

Let’s take a look at the line-up of Nissin’s instant Halloween foods:

▼ Here’s the “Cup Noodle Pumpkin Potage Flavor“. The instant noodles we’re all familiar with have been combined with a soup containing the sweetness of pumpkin and the rich flavor of cheese. The ingredients used include pumpkin, cheddar cheese, carrots and cabbage.
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▼ And this is the “Cup Noodle Risotto Pumpkin Potage Flavor“.If you’re not in the mood for noodles, this item contains rice instead of noodles in the same pumpkin-and-cheese soup.Untitled 2

The other two items don’t exactly use Halloween related ingredients, but they’ve been created with a black color theme to get you into the Halloween spirit.

▼This ”Donbei Black Curry Udon” features the usual thick Donbei udon noodles known for their chewy texture, along with a rich, dark pork-based curry flavored soup containing dried minced meat, potatoes, carrots and negi leeks.

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▼ The “Nissin Yakisoba U.F.O. Squid Ink Flavor” is a variation of the popular U.F.O. Yakisoba fried noodles in a black squid ink (Ikasumi) flavor with some anchovy flavoring and red pepper added to give the taste a little spice and depth.

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So, was there an item that caught your fancy in particular? We think the pumpkin potage soup certainly sounds tasty. (But then again, many Japanese people have a soft spot for anything pumpkin, chestnut or sweet potato flavored, especially during autumn.)

Well, whichever one might appeal to you the most, one thing that’s certain is that you’ll be able to (kind of) get into the Halloween spirit in minutes with these instant foods. Maybe you can even have an “Instant Halloween Party” with the items—that’s one party where the cooking certainly won’t be a hassle. Plus, All the noodle items will be priced at 180 yen (US$1.50), while the risotto will cost 220 yen ($1.83), so it’ll be easy on your wallet as well. To everyone trying the Nissin Halloween line-up this autumn, have a happy and haunted instant dining experience!

Source and photos: Nissin Foods website