Right on August 25, 1958, the founder of Nissin Food Momofuku Ando marketed the world's first instant noodles.
Not an easy feat as it is possible only after an entire year of research using common tools in a little shed he had built in his backyard in Ikeda-city, Osaka Prefecture.
The original chicken flavor is called Chikin Ramen or Chicken Ramen. Nissin themselves regards Chicken Ramen as a “byword of instant noodles.”
“The product is still our mainstay brand,” the company said.
Total sales of Chicken Ramen reached about 5 billion packages in fiscal 2004. That is the last sales figures released for the noodles by the food maker.
To commemorate the landmark year, the World Ramen Summit kicked off in Osaka on Wednesday (22/8), with executives of instant noodle makers gathering from around the world.
About 200 people, including those from Japanese makers such as Nissin, as well as from countries including China, Russia and Brazil, are expected to participate in the event. The summit will close on Thursday after adopting the “Osaka Declaration.”
The ramen summit began in 1997, and has been held in various nations. Osaka was chosen as the host city for the first time in 10 years. Nissin was founded in Osaka Prefecture.
A comic to be released
Last year Nissin's President Noritaka Ando proposed an idea to release a comic commemorating the history of Momofuku Ando and his globally popular invention, instant ramen, on the company's 60th anniversary.
"I want to make this an opportunity for people around the world to get to know Nissin through a uniquely Japanese comic version of our history," he said as quoted by Nikkei.
The comic will be written by cartoonist Takashi Okazaki, who also wrote the story for the animation running on Nissan's homepage and at the Cup Noodles Museum in Yokohama. Nissin's history will be dramatized for the comic.
It will be translated into Chinese, English and two other languages to promote Nissin's brand around the world. Nissin also is considering an online release of the comic so the public can view it.
Source: the-japan-news.com, Nikkei Asian Review, www.cupnoodles-museum.jp