[Muji] The cold udon in the “lunch capsule” was delicious during my cycling tour.

At the park where I went by bike, I tried eating cold udon using MUJI's "Lunch Capsule." I was thinking, "Soup dishes are a bit..." but can it be carried without spilling?

Lunch capsule for carrying soup without spilling.

At the rest points during my bicycle outings, I often settle for convenience store rice balls or bread. However, after sweating, I find that I'm not really hungry, possibly because I'm quite thirsty. When it comes to noodle dishes, I can easily imagine the soup spilling in my backpack and making everything else soggy, so I have always dismissed them as an option until now.

So, I thought that with Muji's "Lunch Capsule with Topping Cup" (Lunch Capsule), I might be able to take it out without spilling, and decided to face the soup issue.

Prepare udon at home and pack it into capsules.

Before departure, during the time when the sunlight is still strong, I will boil one serving of udon in the kitchen. Once it's cooked, I quickly rinse it in cold water, changing the water several times until the noodles are firmly tightened.

I chose a 450mL size lunch capsule that seemed just right for one serving of udon, and I selected white for the color.

I poured the broth into the small cup attached to the inside of the lid. I was half in doubt about whether it would really not spill, but when I closed the lid, it felt securely closed, and there was no sign of water seeping out when I pressed it with my finger.

On top of the udon, I placed kamaboko, beef that I had cooked with a slightly stronger seasoning the day before, and fried tempura bits. I seasoned the beef because I wanted the udon itself to be light in flavor, allowing me to balance the overall taste later.

I bundled the capsule itself, the cup, and the ice pack together and packed them into a Muji cooler bag, being a bit careful with how I packed it so that it wouldn’t tilt against other belongings in my backpack.

I set off with the udon on my back, feeling half in doubt, to a park in the middle of summer.

The place I headed to, with the udon on my back and still feeling half in doubt, was the local park. Taking a break at my usual spot suits me just fine at the moment. I set out in the summer evening, at a time when the sun was slightly tilted and the temperature was starting to settle down.

That said, the heat from the asphalt still gently radiated from the ground, and I started to sweat shortly after running. Each time I stopped, I was curious about how the capsule was doing in my backpack, adjusting it on my back to check on it. There was no particular sensation of bouncing or any change in weight that suggested liquid was leaking; rather, that feeling of “nothing is happening” gave me an unprecedented sense of reassurance. As I approached the park, my anticipation for a break there gradually increased in my mind.

Arriving at the park. I sat down on a bench in the shade and took off my backpack. Wiping the sweat from my arms and forehead with a towel, I took a moment to catch my breath before pulling out the capsule. Now, I wonder if the udon soup has leaked?

Despite having been inside my backpack, which had warmed up with the outside air and my back, the lunch capsule I had packed with ice packs felt cooler than I had expected the moment I held it. It seems the chill was well preserved even during my run.

Though my backpack has been shaken multiple times on the way, the inside of the capsule remained dry, with no leakage or stickiness from the soup at all. I was honestly a bit surprised that the main reason I had avoided carrying noodles thus far was resolved with just this one little effort.

Since the udon tends to collect soup under the ingredients when left as is, I opened the lid of a small cup filled with soup, poured it over the udon, re-closed the lid of the capsule, and gave it a gentle shake to mix the udon, ingredients, and soup together.

Taking a bite of the cold udon topped with kamaboko, tempura flakes, and flavored beef, the firmness of the noodles and the saltiness of the broth slowly seeped into my sweaty body, providing a satisfaction that bread or rice balls couldn't offer. The texture of the tempura flakes, slightly softened by absorbing some of the soup, was particularly enjoyable at this moment.

The surroundings felt like an evening park, with people walking dogs and students likely returning from club activities passing by. No one seemed to pay attention to the author, who was quietly slurping upudon while wiping sweat from their brow. That sense of distance, and the air of being left alone, seemed to be part of the comfort of this time.

The lunch capsule udon I want to take next time I go out

What I realized is that the assumption that “soups cannot be transported” was merely a matter of choosing the right tools. I can carry a meal with broth to my rest point without worrying about spilling liquid. Just this point has definitely expanded the options for my food supplies when going out by bicycle.

The next time I head to the same park, I also want to try slurping udon at the same bench again. I’m looking forward to eating lunch capsule udon in the park while trying different ingredients.

Product Name / Lunch Capsule with Topping Cup
Size / 450mL
External Dimensions / Diameter approximately 6×16cm
Capacity / Full capacity with cup attached: 460mL, Full capacity of cup: 40mL
Weight / Approximately 100g
Color / White, Black
Price / 690 yen
● Good Product Planning

Interviewed and Written by SYURI

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