Nissin Introduces Revolutionary “OTOHIKO” Noise-Cancelling Fork to End “Noodle Harassment”!

| Super Cool Awesome Tokyo Now | Posted by Kai Okudara on Oct.23.2017

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In Japan the act of eating noodles by audibly slurping them is a long-standing practice and many believe that it makes them taste better but, with more and more visitors arriving from overseas, this has lead to a clash of cultures.

“Nu-Hara”, a term made from combining the words “noodle” and “harassment” came to light in 2016 when the TV show “Tokudane!” aired a segment sharing how the noises made foreigners feel uncomfortable in restaurants. Of course, the reaction by Japanese traditionalists was that of indignation that outsiders would criticize the “correct way” of eating noodles. Regardless, with the Tokyo 2020 Olympics approaching and more visitors projected to arrive in the years to follow, some compromises have been put in place. The “OTOHIKO” noise-cancelling fork by Nissin, uses the same concept of the “otohime” toilet technology to silence the slurping. More on the fantastic fork is shown in the video below!

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A microphone in the fork picks up the noise and beams it to a smartphone which sends out a signal that cancels it out. The technology was developed with the expertise of sound artist Shinya Kiyokawa. Reservations for the OTOHIKO which will cost 14,800 yen began on October 23, 2017 and will run until November 22, 2017 or until all 5,000 units of the first run have been reserved.

Is the OTOHIKO the future of noodles or another chindogu? What are your thoughts on slurping noodles? Also, why are people eating cup noodles with forks?

Related Links

Cup Noodle Official site: http://www.cupnoodle.jp/

OTOHIKO Special site: https://store.nissin.com/jp/special/productx/otohiko/index.html