Nongshim's Shin Ramyun Toomba sells out 1 million servings in Japan within two weeks

South Korean instant-noodle maker, home of the Shin Ramyun brand.

Japanese convenience-store shoppers will take up a creamier, pasta-style Shin Ramyun variant that keeps the flagship's signature heat but eats like microwaved pasta.

Nongshim took its flagship Shin Ramyun brand to Japan with a variant built for local tastes: Shin Ramyun Toomba pairs the brand's known spiciness with a rich cream sauce and pasta-style noodles that can be prepared in a microwave.

Launched in April 2025 through 7-Eleven, Japan's leading convenience-store chain, the cup noodles sold out their initial shipment of 1 million servings within two weeks, with shortages in some stores. Japanese consumers praised the rich creaminess balanced with spice and the dual preparation method using both a microwave and hot water. A Nongshim official credited the 'unique spicy cream flavor and pasta-style noodles'.

Japan's convenience stores are the gatekeepers of its instant-noodle market, and 7-Eleven placement put Toomba exactly where the daily eating habit lives.

Toomba kept the flagship's signature heat but changed texture and format - differentiation without abandoning the Shin Ramyun identity.

The microwave-plus-hot-water preparation gave Japanese consumers a novel ritual, and they praised the product online.

Selling out the first million servings in two weeks gave Nongshim proof to justify a fast channel widening.

A flagship-brand variant tuned to local taste - same heat, creamier, pasta-style - can carry a brand into a new market through one dominant convenience channel.

As of the 2025-05-14 announcement, Nongshim was preparing a packet version of Shin Ramyun Toomba for later in the year, placing it in specialty import stores such as Aeon's Caferrant and Kaldi from the third quarter, and planning a nationwide Japan launch in the fourth quarter.