Chilled Yakisoba Industry Study: Why “Maruchan 3-Person Meal” is the Undisputed Champion!

Nissin Foods is focusing on “chilled yakisoba

On July 1, Nissin Foods Chilled launched “Chilled Nissin Yakisoba U.F.O. Cup Noodle Seafood Flavor Yakisoba 2 servings” (MSRP 448 yen). This is the second time this year that the company has released a new chilled yakisoba product in collaboration with a cup noodle. The first product, “Chilled Nissin Yakisoba U.F.O. Bakumori Challenge” (introduced on June 2, 594 yen), is off to a good start.

The fact that the company is developing a product that is a generous combination of “U.F.O.” and “Cup Noodle,” two of the Nissin Foods Group’s major brands, shows how much effort the company is putting into the chilled yakisoba market.

Why chilled (boiled noodles that have been heat-sterilized, bagged, and refrigerated) and not cup or frozen? Ichiro Yamato, a food culture researcher, explains.

Ichiro Yamato, a food culture researcher, says, “There are several possible reasons, but the widespread use of packaged cut vegetables is a major factor. By combining chilled products with cut vegetables, it is easy to make yakisoba noodles at home with a lot of ingredients. In some supermarkets, chilled yakisoba is displayed right next to the cut vegetables. Frozen noodles and cups are difficult to display in such a free manner. Noodle products are also benefiting from a tailwind in the form of demand for substitutes for rice due to the price hikes that have continued since last year.”

Not many people choose cup yakisoba as a substitute for rice, but with chilled products, they can add whatever ingredients they like. In most cases, chilled yakisoba is sold at a much lower price than the suggested retail price, making it not only a household budget-friendly option for families, but also a popular accompaniment to summer barbecues for men and women of all ages.

The top brand of chilled yakisoba is Toyo Suisan’s “Maruchan Yakisoba (3 servings)” (399 yen including tax). This product, which is said to sell 300 million servings annually, has reigned at the top of the industry for half a century since its introduction in 1975.

Fifty years ago, there were many noodle makers in the streets of Japan. These were not restaurants, but retail stores specializing in selling the noodles themselves. To protect their market and avoid friction, Toyo Suisan slowly expanded its sales channels without daring to launch commercials. It chose to coexist with retailers and restaurants rather than compete with them. As a result, the number of restaurants offering a variation of “Maruchan Yakisoba” increased, and consumers began to habitually buy it, saying, “It was so good, I’ll make it at home.

The distinctive feature of Maruchan Yakisoba is the thinness of the noodles. The accompanying powdered sauce with a hint of spice is well mixed with the noodles, creating a simple yet nostalgic flavor. The appeal of this dish is that it is not overly individualistic, allowing the creator’s originality to shine through. Mana Kumagai, president of the Japan Konamon Association, says, “When I make it in a frying pan, I use a powder.

I think the goal was to make the sauce easy to blend in and easy to make at home by sprinkling the powdered sauce over the entire dish when making it in a frying pan. The sauce is not too strong, so even children can easily eat this product. In terms of curry, it is like “Bon Curry” or “Vermont Curry.
If I were making Maruchan Yakisoba, I would slice the cabbage into strips about the same size as the noodles to match the extra-thin noodles, and I would add cherry shrimp and other ingredients to give it a refined taste without adding any animal fat.

Since 2008, Toyo Suisan has been selling the “Blissful Shokutaku Maruchan Yakisoba” series, which pursues a taste that is a grade higher than that of Maruchan Yakisoba. The company has maintained its No. 1 share in the industry by using different shapes of noodles, such as thick noodles for the “Thick Okonomi-Sauce Flavor” (326 yen for two servings), flat noodles for the “Round Chicken Umashio Flavor” (326 yen for two servings), and thin noodles for the “Dashi Aromatic Mellow Sauce Flavor” (326 yen for two servings).

Many in Kansai are in the Nissin camp.

To compete with Toyo Suisan, Nissin Foods Chilled, the second largest company in the industry, is strengthening its chilled products.

Nissin entered the chilled yakisoba market in 1983. Nissin entered the chilled yakisoba market in 1983, when it launched “Nissin Yakisoba 3 Servings” (no MSRP) as a competitor to “Maruchan Yakisoba. There were two versions, “West” and “East,” with the “East” sold in the Kanto and Chubu regions having a less sweet taste, while the “West” sold in western Japan had a sweeter, stronger flavor.’ We are also good at thick noodles, as we launched the ‘Nissin Thick Noodle Yakisoba’ series in 2010,” said Yamato, mentioned above.

Mr. Kumagai, mentioned above, continues, “The idea of ‘Maruchan’ in the East and ‘Nissin’ in the West is deeply rooted.

We Kansai people tend to prefer sauce with a thicker consistency. The “Chilled Nissin Yakisoba U.F.O. 2 servings” (448 yen), which Nissin released last year, combines thick, chunky noodles with the added animal flavor of lard and pork extract in a cup yakisoba sauce. The result is a satisfying eating experience not found in the ultra-thin noodles of “Maruchan Yakisoba.
On the back of the package of Nissin’s chilled yakisoba, it says to add water when stir-frying. This is because it is necessary to use steam to heat the thick noodles as well as to loosen them. Instead of this water, you can add beef or seafood broth. I also recommend Nissin’s thick sauce, as the hormone goes very well with it.”

Shimadaya, the third largest company in the industry, is particular about the quality of its noodles.

Shimadaya was the last of the three companies to launch the chilled yakisoba, but it played a leading role in popularizing the product. In 1988, Shimadaya’s revolutionary chilled noodles, “Nagaremizu-men,” which could be eaten simply by passing them through water, became an explosive hit. Although “Nagaremizu-men” did not contain yakisoba, consumers rushed to the chilled noodle section and began to buy “Maruchan Yakisoba” and “Nissin Yakisoba,” which were located nearby, as well. Shimadaya, which indirectly boosted the position of chilled yakisoba in this way, entered the industry in 1991 with Teppan-men (378 yen for two servings),” said Yamato.

The special feature of “Teppan-men” is its chewy noodles. Takeo Kanda, a ramen researcher who makes his own ramen, explains, “Teppan Men’s noodles are chewy.

As indicated prominently on the package, 100% domestic wheat flour is used. While most yakisoba noodles from other companies are yellow in color, Teppan-men’s noodles are white, fluffy, and thick. The sweet Worcestershire sauce-based finish makes it feel like you are eating yakisoba from a food cart.
Shimadaya’s commitment to its noodles is so great that it also offers a yakisoba called “Shin-Dachi” (151 yen per serving), which is sold without sauce, just the noodles. The company also produces a private brand product for the budget supermarket Okay, “Spice-scented Kokuuma Sauce Yakisoba 3-serving pack”, which is sold for the surprisingly low price of 109 yen. The company’s products feature delicious noodles and are inexpensive.

At present, “Maruchan Yakisoba” has established an unshakeable position in terms of ease of preparation, ease of arrangement, and familiarity of taste, but the industry as a whole is expected to grow in the future.

In recent years, frozen noodles have been gaining momentum, but home freezers cannot be expanded so easily. On the other hand, chilled noodles can be stored in a relatively spacious refrigerator, so many people involved in the industry are saying, ‘From now on, chilled noodles will be better than frozen noodles.

This summer, why not try making your favorite yakisoba noodles with seasonal summer vegetables?

From the August 1, 2025 issue of FRIDAY