On the afternoon of the 15th, Takeshita Street in Harajuku, Tokyo. Stepping into Nongshim's pop-up store "Shin Ramyun Bunsik," which opened last June, there in the middle of a space dominated by a large "辛" character, Shin Ramyun, Shin Toomba, Chapagetti, Ansungtangmyun, Neoguri and other Nongshim bag ramyuns were displayed on red shelves.
Visitors were cooking ramyun using an automatic cooker in the "Hangang ramyun" style. While common in Korea at Han River convenience stores and unmanned ramyun shops, it was an unfamiliar sight in Japan, where people mainly enjoy cup ramyun outside and cook bag ramyun at home.
A kiosk allowed customers to order various toppings. In addition to toppings that go well with ramyun, such as eggs, cheese, scallions and sliced tteokguk rice cakes, milk was also included as an option for local customers sensitive to spiciness.
Nongshim has continued various marketing efforts to raise brand awareness in the Japanese market, including TV ads, outdoor ads in busy districts and bus wraps. Recently, it has focused on "experiential marketing" that lets consumers engage directly, going beyond simple exposure. Jeong Young-il, head of growth strategy at Nongshim Japan, said, "At the pop-up store held in Tokyo in 2024, 13,000 people visited over 10 days and lines of four to five hours formed, proving strong interest," adding, "Visitor satisfaction topped 95%, confirming the brand's expansion among younger consumers."
Jeong said this strategy led to the Harajuku "Shin Ramyun Bunsik." The store has become a flagship experiential space, drawing an average of about 10,000 visitors a month. Jeong explained, "Demand to experience Korean-style ramyun culture firsthand, such as Hangang ramyun, is spreading quickly, especially among younger people."
Many said they came after seeing it on social media. Even though it was a weekday afternoon before dinnertime, women made up most of the customers that day. A Nongshim Japan official said, "Women in their 20s and 30s in Japan show the highest interest in Korean culture, and interest in Shin Ramyun, a representative Korean food, is also high," adding, "Recently, we have been actively using the Neoguri character and others to target younger consumers."
Nongshim is also expanding touchpoints by operating tastings and pop-ups across Japan at ski resorts, beaches and local festivals. At large events such as the Sapporo Snow Festival, it provided tasting experiences for tens of thousands, imprinting the brand. Jeong said, "With food, the experience of actually tasting it ultimately matters," adding, "Our goal is to create an environment where Shin Ramyun is easy to find anywhere in Japan."
These on-site reactions have translated into distribution results. Nongshim said "Shin Toomba (big bowl)" has been officially stocked at about 53,000 stores nationwide, including Seven-Eleven, FamilyMart and Lawson, the three major convenience store chains in Japan. It is rare for an overseas ramyun brand to enter all stores of Japan's convenience store "big three."
Japanese convenience stores usually test new products for about a month and then rotate them out, but Shin Toomba established itself as a year-round item within a year of launch. When it was first released at Seven-Eleven, the initial batch of 1 million units sold out in two weeks, and subsequent batches also sold out in succession. Cumulative sales have now surpassed 10 million units.
Experiential marketing is taking place not only in Harajuku but across Japan. At the Food Stadium inside Fuji-Q Highland, a theme park near Mount Fuji visited on the 16th, collaboration menu items using Shin Ramyun and Neoguri were being sold. It is a setup where young visitors naturally encounter ramyun while enjoying rides. The outlet opened on the 19th of last month and will operate until the 10th of next month.
Three menu items are sold: "tantanmen-style Shin Ramyun," a reinterpretation of Shin Ramyun as tantanmen; "Shin Ramyun Toowoomba," in a cream pasta style; and "Neoguri ramyun mild," highlighting seafood flavor. Having tried them, the dishes were prepared with a recipe unique to Fuji-Q Highland rather than the usual method, giving them a distinctive taste. Other experiences included photo ops with a Shin Ramyun mascot in a costume. Visitors of various ages, from infants to students, were taking pictures with the mascot.
The scene was similarly lively at the "2026 Korea Expo Tokyo," held at the Sunshine City Convention Center in Ikebukuro, Tokyo, on the 16th. A tasting line stretched in front of the Neoguri-themed booth. Visitors from various countries showed surprise at the spiciness in some cases, but in an on-site vote of Neoguri spicy vs. mild, spicy drew slightly more votes. A person identified as A, who lives in Tokyo, sampled Neoguri at the themed booth and said, "I've also tried Shin Ramyun, and while Neoguri is less spicy, the noodle texture was good and I could still feel the heat."
Nongshim has also partnered with dining corporations such as Yakiniku King, a local yakiniku franchise with more than 350 locations across Japan. Shin Toomba is being sold at Yakiniku King, an all-you-can-eat barbecue chain, until the 7th of next month. Through six collaboration events with Nongshim from 2019 to last year, Yakiniku King sold about 2 million packs of products such as Shin Ramyun and Shin Ramyun Black. In particular, last year's "Korean pojangmacha" concept offered a Shin Ramyun menu cooked in the Hangang ramyun style inside the stores, gaining popularity.