Japanese manufacturing company New World Co., Ltd. and Fukuoka-based instant noodle pioneers Marutai Co., Ltd., now celebrating their 60th anniversary, have teamed up for a crowdfunding campaign centered on the company's most popular product, 棒ラーメン bō rāmen (literally "stick ramen"), repackaging it in a fashionable five-variety box set with an appealing combination of traditional and more unusual ramen types.


Marutai's stick ramen

Marutai's stick ramen is extremely popular in Kyushu and has been enjoyed as "Fukuoka soul food" for the last 60 years. By no means a feast but a comforting go-to, these instant noodles have always been a part of daily life in Kyushu as well as many other parts of Japan. However, as is often the case with instant noodles, they're often stored somewhere out of sight.

MARUTAI BO-RAMEN: Stick ramen for a new generation

But what if there were a kind of stick ramen that you'd be happy to display as a decorative accent in your home? What if there were a kind of stick ramen that you want to enjoy as a special meal on a special occasion? Marutai tasked its young generation of employees to reinvent their brand for their 60th anniversary, and they came up with a ramen product that overturns the conventional wisdom of "stick ramen" and "instant noodles."

With five varieties packaged in stylish hardcover book-like boxes forming a ramen design on their spines when stacked together, together with English lettering "MARUTAI BO-RAMEN," they're not only asking to be displayed in your home but contain five delicious ramen flavors...

...including a blue tonkotsu ramen which is sure to impress your followers on social media.


Five tasty varieties

Let's take a look at what's included in the set:

White: Hakata Tonkotsu Ramen

Red: Tantanmen

Yellow: Cheese Tonkotsu

Green: Yuzukosho Toripaitan

Blue: Blue Tonkotsu Ramen


Crowdfunding campaign

The crowdfunding campaign will continue until January 10th, 2021, with delivery expected in March. The campaign has been extremely successful, already exceeding its established funding goal eleven times over at the time of writing.

Currently, the early bird 10% discount is still available, so you can purchase the set of five for 3,987 JPY (incl. tax), and when that runs out, the standard price will be 4,430 JPY.

To see more images of each ramen variety and to order your MARUTAI BO-RAMEN set, visit the campaign page here before January 10th, 2021.


By - Ben K.