7-Eleven in Japan has launched another amazing service: “Freshly Made Noodles Finished in Store,” which lets you enjoy authentic noodle dishes in just about two minutes using a special in-store machine. While 7-Eleven has long provided the deliciousness of “freshly made” items like its Seven Café coffee, this time, they are leveraging robotic technology to offer a completely new culinary experience.
To use the service, simply select a special product from the freezer section, purchase it, and place it in the machine. Press the start button, and a piping hot, restaurant-quality noodle dish is automatically prepared for you. It’s a true taste of the future of dining.
The “Steam Cooking” Technology Behind the Restaurant-Quality Taste
This revolutionary service is powered by “STEAMA,” a steam-cooking robot developed by SoftBank Robotics.
The machine employs a unique “steam cooking” technique that uses boiling water along with high-pressure, high-temperature steam. This method rapidly and evenly heats the frozen noodles and toppings, successfully recreating a restaurant-quality flavor without losing the noodles’ firm texture, the soup’s rich aroma, or the ingredients’ original mouthfeel.
Using it is incredibly simple. First, select your desired noodle dish from the freezer aisle. Next, press the start button on the machine, which initiates a 30-second automatic cleaning cycle. Then, place the entire container into the machine without removing the film. In just about 90 seconds, your piping hot meal is ready. Simply peel off the film and enjoy. It’s a fantastic way to have a quick, authentic meal, even on a busy day.
A Diverse Lineup of Authentic Noodles
The current menu offers a wide variety of choices, from ramen and udon to a soupless “mazesoba.”
Freshly Made Shoyu Ramen
Priced at 630 yen (680.40 yen incl. tax), this ramen features a clear shoyu (soy sauce) broth infused with the umami of dried sardines, creating a light yet profoundly deep flavor. The straight noodles, which perfectly capture the soup, make this a quintessential Japanese ramen experience.
Freshly Made Miso Ramen
Priced at 630 yen (680.40 yen incl. tax). The rich, full-bodied flavor of miso combined with the refreshing aroma of grated ginger whets the appetite. The firm, medium-thick wavy noodles are excellent at holding onto the hearty soup.
Freshly Made Pork Bone Shoyu Iekei Ramen
Priced at 630 yen (680.40 yen incl. tax). This ramen offers a highly addictive flavor, blending a creamy pork bone broth packed with umami and a sharp soy sauce base. It represents the popular “Iekei” style of ramen and features smooth, flat noodles.
Freshly Made Niku Udon (Meat Udon)
Priced at 560 yen (604.80 yen incl. tax). It’s not just about ramen; you can also enjoy “udon,” a traditional Japanese noodle dish. This dish boasts a fragrant broth made from a carefully prepared dashi and a blend of several soy sauces. The firm udon noodles are a perfect match for the sweet and savory simmered beef.
Freshly Made Taiwan Mazesoba
Priced at 593 yen (640.44 yen incl. tax). This is a “mazesoba,” a soupless noodle style where you mix the sauce and ingredients together with the noodles. The spicy and rich sauce—a base of soy sauce and miso with added doubanjiang (tobanjan) and fish powder—is sure to whet your appetite. It’s best enjoyed by thoroughly mixing the sauce with the smooth, flat noodles.
Availability
This innovative service will be piloted in select stores within Saitama Prefecture starting October 22, 2025. It is scheduled to roll out to approximately 40 stores in cities such as Saitama, Kasukabe, and Kawagoe. The day when this service is available across Japan might not be too far in the future.
The initial launch stores include Saitama Magemoto 3-chome (3-5-1 Magemoto, Minami-ku, Saitama-shi, Saitama), Toyoharu Ekimae (142-5 Kamihiruta, Kasukabe-shi, Saitama), Washinomiya Sakurada 2-chome (2-133-27 Sakurada, Kuki-shi, Saitama), Asaka Saiwaicho 1-chome (1-4-1 Saiwaicho, Asaka-shi, Saitama), Kitamoto Station West Exit (2-61 Chuo, Kitamoto-shi, Saitama), Omiya Owada Maehara (1-1488-7 Owada-cho, Minuma-ku, Saitama-shi, Saitama), Kazo Hokano (748 Hokano, Kazo-shi, Saitama), Honjo Sakae 1-chome (1-1-36 Sakae, Honjo-shi, Saitama), Saitama Sashiogi Higashi (1060-1 Sashiogi, Nishi-ku, Saitama-shi, Saitama), Kawagoe Kishimachi 3-chome (3-5-4 Kishimachi, Kawagoe-shi, Saitama), Saitama Kushihikicho 2-chome (2-754 Kushihikicho, Kita-ku, Saitama-shi, Saitama), Saitama Hizaori (230-1 Hizaori, Minuma-ku, Saitama-shi, Saitama), Saitama Kamikotachi (51-1 Kamikotachi, Omiya-ku, Saitama-shi, Saitama), Okegawa Kawataya (3212-1 Kawataya, Okegawa-shi, Saitama), Moroyama Nagase (4-19-9 Chuo, Moroyama-machi, Iruma-gun, Saitama), Asaka Hamasaki 4-chome (4-7-55 Hamasaki, Asaka-shi, Saitama), Kuki Kamiuchi Nishi (1912-1 Kamiuchi, Kuki-shi, Saitama), Hasuda Minami Shinjuku (1047-2 Minami Shinjuku, Hasuda-shi, Saitama), Saitama Haruoka (25-12 Marugasakicho, Minuma-ku, Saitama-shi, Saitama), Ageo Sugaya 1-chome (1-69 Sugaya, Ageo-shi, Saitama), Higashimatsuyama Matsumotocyo (1-7-10 Matsumotocyo, Higashimatsuyama-shi, Saitama), Kita-Sakado Station East Exit (1-2 Suehirocho, Sakado-shi, Saitama), and Kitamoto Station West Exit (2-61 Chuo, Kitamoto-shi, Saitama).
If you ever have the chance to visit Japan, why not try this futuristic convenience store delicacy? The evolution of Japanese convenience stores shows no signs of stopping.
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