◀ reporter ▶
I am now in an alley in Shin-Okubo, Tokyo.
This place is called the holy land of Hallyu in Japan.
If you look around you can see Hangeul signboards and Korean food.
It’s hard to tell if this is Japan or Korea.
I will go into the store myself and meet the customers.
◀ Report ▶
The restaurant serving Korean food such as pork belly and giblets is full of young customers.
A green bottle is placed on each table.
Korean soju.
Skillfully pouring alcohol into a soju glass is like a Korean.
[하가 유스케]
“Is it a friend’s recommendation? (Soju) was delicious, so I started drinking it from then on.”
[이시가와 토와]
“(Shochu) is popular because it’s easy to drink, and there aren’t many green bottles in Japan, so I buy them because they’re cool.”
I don’t drink only at night.
Korean soju is also served in places where you can enjoy daytime drinks with your best friends from broad daylight outside.
[야마우치 하루]
“Usually I drink highballs or non-sweet drinks, but soju is sweet, but I think it’s refreshing, so it’s easy to drink.”
In Tokyo, the so-called K-Soju trend was evoked by Korean dramas that kept the boring indoors alive during the coronavirus period.
Drink when you’re sad and drink when you’re lonely.
Did the Japanese, who rarely express themselves well, learn how to relieve their emotions by watching the drama protagonists release their emotions and soothe their hearts while drinking soju?
[와타나베 아이리]
“I’m so annoyed today… I really want to get drunk, and when I want to get drunk, I want to drink (soju).”
The popularity of shochu is exploding as it attracts young Japanese men who prefer a relatively light drink to the localization strategy of mixing fruit or carbonic acid.
Chamisul, the No. 1 market share, saw sales increase 10 times last year compared to before the outbreak of the corona virus, and Good Day, the No. 2 company, saw sales nearly triple in two years.
[이이다 리나/한국식당 매니저]
“Originally, Shin-Okubo had a lot of young female customers, but as the (Korean) drama became popular, men also started drinking soju.”
The power of Korean dramas that goes beyond the cold Korea-Japan relationship is spreading not only to soju but also to other foods, causing another Korean wave in Japan.
A grocery store that looks like a whole Korean supermarket has recently opened in Kochi, southern Japan.
This place only sells Korean products such as soybean paste, gochujang, kimchi, laver, and ramen, but the customers are all Japanese.
[상점 손님/고치현 고치시]
“I like Korean dramas, so I’m influenced by them. Because (actors) were eating these things on TV…”
Northern Japan, Sapporo City is similar.
Korean cosmetics, masks, and even mask straps.
Products that have appeared in the drama even once are selling hotly and heating up Sapporo.
A restaurant specializing in tteokbokki, which was only available in Tokyo and Osaka, also appeared in Sapporo for the first time.
[카미바야시 치아기/삿포로 떡볶이 식당 주인]
“There are Korean towns in Tokyo and Osaka, but there were none in Sapporo. You can eat authentic Korean flavors at this restaurant.”
This is Young-Jun Hyun from MBC News from Tokyo.
Video coverage: Jang-sik Lee, Jin-ho Kim (Tokyo) / Video editing: Min-woo Jo
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