
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
Pizza Hut Japan’s hot lucky bags are perfect for a New Year’s pizza party
7 great places to see Mt. Fuji from without having to climb it
Get lost all the time? Can’t read maps? Study says you should play more Super Mario 64
Japanese thug wear from Birth Japan perfect for those breaking bad next year
Japan’s most popular maid cafe, Akiba Zettai Ryoiki, opens new “Maid Cafe Winery” in Akihabara
Japan now has potato chip-covered chocolate, and it’s amazing!【Taste test】
Fourth dead body found on Mt. Fuji in less than one week from climbing season start
Absolutely nothing but knee-highs at Akihabara’s new sock emporium
Can one man blow 10,000 yen at Tokyo’s cheapest Italian restaurant? The human otter finds out
Lacquerware supplier to emperor of Japan and Pokémon team up for new tableware
Starbucks Japan ready to get Year of the Horse started with adorable drinkware and plushies【Pics】
7-Eleven Japan’s ramen-cooking robot whipped us up a bowl of noodles【Taste test】
Cyberpunk anime meets traditional culture in Ghost in the Shell gold leaf Japanese changing screens
Japan may add Japanese language proficiency, lifestyle classes to permanent foreign resident requirements
Hello Kitty Choco Egg figures are an adorable trip through three periods of Japanese pop culture【Pics】
Japan’s otoshidama tradition of giving kids money at New Year’s gets a social welfare upgrade
Starbucks Japan releases new zodiac chilled cup drink for 2026
Can a dirty butthole make you filthy rich in Japan? We’re starting a New Year’s lottery experiment
7-Eleven Japan starts new temporary luggage storage service in over 300 branches
Disillusionment at Tsukiji’s tourist-target prices led us to a great ramen restaurant in Tokyo
Starbucks teams up with 166-year-old Kyoto doll maker for Year of the Horse decorations【Photos】
Tokyo considering law requiring more trash cans following litter increase in heavily touristed area
Tokyo’s Tsukiji sushi neighborhood asks tour groups to stay away for the rest of the month
Nintendo’s Kirby now delivering orders at Kura Sushi restaurants, but not in Japan
Tokyo event lets you travel back in time, for free, to celebrate 100 years since Showa era start
Sanrio theme park in Japan announces plans to expand into a Sanrio resort
Stamina-destroying “Paralysis Noodles” are Tokyo’s newest over-the-top ramen innovation
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
Japan’s deadliest food claims more victims, but why do people keep eating it for New Year’s?
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
Starbucks Japan reveals new sakura drinkware collection, inspired by evening cherry blossoms
Updated cherry blossom forecast shows extra-long sakura season for Japan this year
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
Three different types of mystery meat fill the latest Cup Noodle flavor from Nissin
Instant tempura and abura-age from Cup Noodle maker Nissin coming to power up your noodle meals
Leave a Reply