A Korea tourism festival held in central Tokyo drew large crowds of Japanese visitors eager to experience Korean culture and plan trips to Korea.
The “Shall We Go to Korea Today? Travel Festival,” organized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) at Roppongi Hills Arena in Tokyo on Friday, saw long lines form at booths offering Han River ramen tastings and K-beauty experiences.
“We like K-dramas more than Japanese dramas and visited Seoul and Busan last year,” said Fujiwara, a Tokyo resident who attended with her daughter. A female visitor in her 20s said she came “to try new Korean cosmetics with good ingredients.”
“Hallyu has become a precious part of Japanese people’s daily lives, not just a temporary boom,” KTO President Park Sung-hyuk said.
The two organizations held a “K-Tourism Roadshow” in Tokyo and Osaka from January 9 to 12 to attract Japanese tourists. The campaign aims to position Korea as an everyday travel destination for Japanese visitors, leveraging the geographic proximity that makes same-day trips possible.
“I personally witnessed Korean culture deeply embedded in Japanese daily life, from K-food at convenience stores to street fashion,” Park said. “Following last year’s record 3.65 million Japanese visitors to Korea, we hope Korea becomes a destination where people think ‘Shall we go to Korea next week?'”
Singer Sung Si-kyung, who gained popularity in Japan through his appearance on the Netflix show “Crazy Delicious Restaurant,” was appointed as an honorary ambassador for Korean tourism at the event.
“About 10 million Koreans visited Japan last year, and Japanese visits to Korea also hit a record high. This shows both countries like each other,” Sung said. “As an ambassador, I want to convey the message of friendship between our nations.” He also recommended hiking at Cheonggyesan and other mountains near Seoul.
A separate exchange event was held in Osaka with participation from about 120 tourism industry organizations from both countries. KTO introduced 30 small cities to reduce the concentration of tourists in the Seoul metropolitan area and plans to develop regional travel packages using Gimhae, Daegu, and Cheongju airports as hubs.
AloJapan.com