Instant Museum

Yes, of course, Dan, there is a Ramen Museum in Yokohama. It's called the "Shinyokohama Raumen Museum," says Japan-Guide.com, and I intend to visit.

Among other exciting features, the museum, "displays the variety of noodles, soups, toppings and bowls used across Japan, and shows how the noodles are made," the site says.

Unfortunately, I can't get the offical English Web site to work, and the Japanese version has a scary picture front and center.

So for now I don't have the slightest idea what it costs to learn the history of Ramen. But honestly, I would pay nearly any price for some delicious noodles.

EDITED TO ADD:

A quick Web search turned up a nice write-up on the museum, which puts the admission at roughly $3. But if I actually want to eat some Ramen, the cost is closer to $9. Oh well, it must be worth it. Right? After all, notes this Web site, "The historical development of instant ramen is painstakingly chronicled, and the invention of cup ramen (the kind where you pour boiling water directly into a styrofoam cup) is celebrated as the dramatic technological achievement it most certainly was."

What a fine world we live in.