On entering the minimalist five-story cube opposite the Yokohama Cosmoworld ferris wheel in Minato Mirai, it's hard to believe that the huge white-walled atrium, with its monumental wooden staircase and beech floors, is not the entrance to a modern-art museum. The blurb in the museum's guide, too, seems at odds with what visitors may be expecting: "This interactive museum is designed to stir the creativity and curiosity within every child and provide a rich educational experience."

And there I was thinking it was all about noodles.

The Cup Noodles Museum, which opened in September, will be a shock for anyone who assumes a museum with such a name would simply be about cheap and cheerful food. And really, who wouldn't think that? Nissin noodles are world-famous for being a delicious, no-fuss snack. But, it seems, this museum is about more than simple noodly goodness.