KASHIWA SATO, A JAPANESE ART DIRECTOR WHO IS IN CHARGE OF THE INTERIOR DESIGN AND CREATIVE DIRECTION OF NISSIN FOODS PRODUCTS’ FACTORY’S VISITING PROGRAM, WELCOMES THE FACTORY VISITORS WITH A GIANT NOODLE CUP LID CANOPY
TEXT: PRATCHAYAPOL LERTWICHA
PHOTO COURTESY OF SAMURAI INC.
(For Thai, press here)
With the canopy at the entrance that looks just like the lid of a giant instant noodle cup, anyone can tell from miles away that this is ’NISSIN FOODS PRODUCTS’ factory, where all the instant noodle operations are happening inside. Kashiwa Sato, a reputable Japanese art director and owner of the company, SAMURAI INC., is the man behind the idea that has given birth to the CUP NOODLES lid entrance of Nissin Food Products’ Kansai Factory. He’s the creative director in charge of the design of the spaces included in the factory’s visiting program and for the interior decoration.
Walking past the whimsical entrance, one will come across a 200-meter-long walkway that Sato has designed to be in a bright red color, decorated with a white pattern, following the brand’s iconic identity. The walkway opens to the manufacturing line whose advanced technology enables the production of 4 million instant noodle packages per day (that’s 1 billion cups per year). While watching the machines work their magic, the entire visit is accompanied by electronic music that mixes in the sound of the noodle making machines, fulfilling both the visual and pleasing auditory experience.
Another space the veteran creative director adds to the plant visiting program is ‘My CUPNOODLES Factory,’ which allows each visitor to create their own one-of-a-kind package of CUP NOODLES. Visitors can design their package and choose their favorite soup from the four varieties available, as well as four toppings out of 12 toppings. This special segment somewhat upgrades what would have otherwise been just a simple and far less flavorful factory tour where people would be looking at the machines performing their tasks. With this meticulously curated program, visitors are now able to enjoy and appreciate the entire process of how CUP NOODLES are made from the very first stage to the last process before they reach the consumers. Unfortunately, flying to Osaka to see the factory is still quite a hassle, so for the time being, let’s enjoy some cup noodles while saving money for a trip to Japan, hopefully soon.
