
Test your knowledge of Japanese slang from the ’70s onwards with these limited-edition cup noodles!
Nissin Cup Noodles: the pantry staple of every Japanese kitchen. They’re cheap, tasty, and quick, and with a myriad of delightful flavors, some mysterious and some very straight forward, it’s no wonder that they’ve sold over 100 billion units since their humble beginnings in 1971.
In celebration of this remarkable number, Nissin is releasing special Cup Noodle packaging for Nissin’s original Cup Noodle flavor, featuring some Japan’s most famous popular words and slang from the last 50 years. Each cup includes the year of its colloquial phrase, so you know exactly what year it was popular. For example, this package of Cup Noodles features 2020’s phrase “Yoichomaru”, which means “feeling good” or “having fun”.
From the 1970s comes words like “Gabiin“, which was used to describe “shock” or “surprise”, often used in manga, and another package features the 1983 word “Techno Cut”, a popular haircut of the 80s. In 1996, one popular phrase was “Cho Very Good”, which adds the Japanese word “Cho”, which means “very”, to “very good”, giving a funny redundancy to the phrase.
The packaging is full of fun words and phrases like these that give you a glimpse of the culture of the past!
There are 60 different phrases in all, so why not try and collect them all and see if you can figure out what each one means? Quiz your Japanese friends to see if they know. You’re all sure to have a good laugh in the process.
But the blast to the past doesn’t end there! Nissin is promoting their limited-edition packaging by giving away a 1,000 yen (US$9.46) telephone card featuring “one in a millennium idol” Kanna Hashimoto to 1,000 people. Simply follow Cup Noodle’s official account on Twitter and retweet their July 27 tweet to enter.
▼ “The moment you poured in hot water, my heart began to boil.”
https://twitter.com/cupnoodle_jp/status/1287570779047989248Don’t know what a telephone card is or how to use it? Try looking it up! Learning about the culture of the past 50 years is what this campaign is all about.
Source, images: Nissin Group
● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
[ Read in Japanese ]



Nissin’s Cup Noodle gets glamorous birthday makeover!
Converse teaming up with Cup Noodle for three pairs of shoes inspired by iconic packaging
Official microwaveable Cup Noodle-Use Measuring Cup is now a reality, could be yours if you act fast
Fan support makes fictitious Cup Noodle shopping bags a reality, sell out in days
Nissin releases new Gaming Cup Noodle in Japan, with caffeine to keep you gaming all night long
Starbucks Japan releases first-ever Hinamatsuri Girls’ Day Frappuccino
Drift ice in Japan is a disappearing winter miracle you need to see now
Japan Extreme Budget Travel! A trip from Tokyo to Izumo for just 30,000 yen [Part 2]
Japanese restaurant chain serves Dragon Ball donuts and Senzu Beans this spring
This Nara workshop has been making deer crackers for more than 100 years and offers tours【Photos】
We taste makunouchi bento at four Japanese convenience store chains【Taste comparison】
Which convenience store onigiri rice balls are the most popular? Survey reveals surprising results
Can we be just like Shohei Ohtani on a budget with a Hello Kitty cap?
Poop is in full bloom at the Unko Museums for cherry blossom season
Tokyo street sweets: The must-snack treats of Nakano’s Refutei
Highest Starbucks in Japan set to open this spring in the Tokyo sky
Tokyo Skytree turns pink for the cherry blossom season
Yakuzen ramen restaurant in Tokyo is very different to a yakuza ramen restaurant
Japan Extreme Budget Travel! A trip from Tokyo to Izumo for just 30,000 yen [Part 1]
Japan has only one airport named after a samurai, so let’s check out Kochi Ryoma【Photos】
Japanese drugstore sells onigiri at pre-stupid era prices, but how do they compare to 7-Eleven?
Burning through cash just to throw things away tops list of headaches when moving house in Japan
Starbucks Japan releases new sakura goods and drinkware for cherry blossom season 2026
Japan’s newest Shinkansen has no seats…or passengers [Video]
Foreigners accounting for over 80 percent of off-course skiers needing rescue in Japan’s Hokkaido
Super-salty pizza sends six kids to the hospital in Japan, linguistics blamed
Starbucks Japan unveils new sakura Frappuccino for cherry blossom season 2026
Foreign tourists in Japan will get free Shinkansen tickets to promote regional tourism
The 10 most annoying things foreign tourists do on Japanese trains, according to locals
Take a trip to Japan’s Dododo Land, the most irritating place on Earth
Naruto and Converse team up for new line of shinobi sneakers[Photos]
Is China’s don’t-go-to-Japan warning affecting the lines at a popular Tokyo gyukatsu restaurant?
Survey asks foreign tourists what bothered them in Japan, more than half gave same answer
Japan’s human washing machines will go on sale to general public, demos to be held in Tokyo
Starbucks Japan releases new drinkware and goods for Valentine’s Day
We deeply regret going into this tunnel on our walk in the mountains of Japan
Studio Ghibli releases Kodama forest spirits from Princess Mononoke to light up your home
Major Japanese hotel chain says reservations via overseas booking sites may not be valid
Put sesame oil in your coffee? Japanese maker says it’s the best way to start your day【Taste test】
No more using real katana for tourism activities, Japan’s National Police Agency says
The true identity of Cup Noodle’s “mystery meat”
Cup Noodle’s Super Combined flavors become super-awesome combined robots made from the cups【Pics】
Cup Noodle sells new squid fork with its instant ramen
Cup Noodle now has cute cats and judgmental foxes waiting underneath its lids【Photos】
Pikachu-lid Cup Noodle design could be the cutest instant ramen package ever
Whole boxes of Mystery Meat going on sale in Japan, Cup Noodle fans rejoice
Clever Cup Noodle-only measuring cup becomes instant ramen lovers’ new most-wanted kitchenware
New Seafood Cup Noodle flavor actually includes a lot of pork content
Seapoodle Cup Noodle flavor is on the way, sounds absolutely delicious (except for the name)
We get to be (probably) the first ever to try Nissin Cup Noodle’s latest creation: Gyoza ramen!
New mystery meat in the Mystery Meat Festival Cup Noodle【Taste Test】
Cup Noodle’s latest giveaway prizes are insane, even by Cup Noodle standards【Pics】
Cup Noodle pizza flavor instant ramen arrives in Japan, but can it win over our greasy hearts?
We try out Nissin’s new Cup Noodle Broth Hardening Powder to see if it really works
Green tea Cup Noodle brings matcha to the wonderful world of instant ramen