japanese wave in seoul

By Cathy Rose A. Garcia, Kwon Mee-yoo
Staff Reporters

These days, it's hard to ignore the growing Japanese trend in Seoul. The Uniqlo flagship store in Myeongdong is packed with shoppers of all ages, buying sweaters and jeans. Just a few feet away, people are lining up to buy chewy donuts at Mister Donut.

Japanese food products like ramen and natto (fermented soybeans) are on the shelves of supermarkets, while new restaurants serve sushi, omurice (omelet rice) and tonkatsu (breaded, deep-fried pork cutlet).

Teenagers avidly read Japanese manga (graphic novels), while listening to the music of L'Arc-en-Ciel and Ayumi Hamasaki. In the evening, college students and office workers head to the izakayas to unwind with Japanese beer or sake.

From movies and music to food and fashion, Japanese culture is slowly becoming a part of the Korean way of life. A new ``illyu'' or the Japanese wave is spreading among young Koreans who follow the Japanese lifestyle, whether they know it or not.

Cuisine

For a long time, you could only find good, authentic Japanese restaurants in Ichon-dong also known as Little Tokyo, but recently Japanese restaurants and bars have been sprouting up all over the city.

With all the glowing neon signs in Japanese and bright red lanterns hanging in front of a row of restaurants, one can be forgiven for thinking this is somewhere in Tokyo, and not in the middle of Hongdae.



Hongdae is now home to dozens of izakayas, which feature red lanterns outside the main entrance. Izakayas are Japanese-style drinking places that offer beer, sake and other alcoholic beverages, and side dishes. In Japan, izakayas are casual and cheap places for drinks after work.

Izakayas in Hongdae are packed with students and young office workers during the evenings. At Haruyama, the atmosphere was mellower and quieter than the usual Korean-style bars. Surrounded by subdued lighting, customers sit on tatami-covered benches and order Japanese sake and snacks such as fried octopus and croquettes. A glass of sake costs between 6,000 won to 8,000, while a bottle of sake starts at 50,000 won.

Doo Hee-eun, is a 25-year old graduate student who loves Japanese food such as okonomiyaki and takoyaki. Takoyaki is a round-shaped small dumpling with dried octopus in it and easily found at street vendors.



She often goes to okonomiyaki places or izakayas to taste okonomiyaki. ``Okonomiyaki is somewhat similar to bindaetteok, or Korean pancake-like dishes, but the difference is that I can choose what ingredients will be in my okonomiyaki and sometimes I cook it by myself at the restaurant.''

Okonomiyaki, described as a cross between pancake and pizza, is made of shredded cabbage, shrimp, squid, beef, pork, eggs and vegetables. Okonomiyaki is derived from the Japanese phrase ``okonomi,'' which means ``what you like,'' and ``yaki'' which means grilled.

There are several okonomiyaki places in Hongdae, such as Fugetsu and No Side. At Fugetsu, a Japanese restaurant franchise, there are different variations of okonomiyaki that one can try. A popular dish, Modanyaki is okonomiyaki with a layer
of fried noodles added to it.

Unlike in Japan where customers usually cook the okonomiyaki themselves on the hot plate on the table, here a server cooks it in front of the customer.

Doo said she tried Japanese cuisine, after watching popular Japanese dramas. ``I think the rising popularity of Japanese movies or dramas made Koreans to look for Japanese food. I first tried food appeared in Japanese drama out of curiosity and it turned out to be a delicacy,'' she said.

Supermarkets

Japanese food products are now increasingly available at supermarkets and department stores' imported goods section. Among the popular products are natto (fermented soybeans), soy sauce, ramen and miso (soybean paste). Because of the well-being trend, Koreans are starting to like natto, a traditional Japanese food known for its nutritional value.

Grocery shopping for Japanese food items is easier with the help of online shops like www.tokyo-snack.com, www.monolink.co.kr and www.oisii.co.kr. Japanese curry, ramen, udong, soba, sake, drinks, candies, chocolates, cookies and other snacks are all available online.

Fashion

Clothing retailer Uniqlo is one of the fastest growing Japanese brands in Korea. Uniqlo first opened at the Lotte Young Plaza in 2005, and since then, freestanding shops have opened in Myeongdong, Gangnam and Apgujeong. Another store will soon open in Sincheon.

Uniqlo is known for its simple designs, good quality and reasonable prices. Jeans, fleece sweaters, down jackets, cashmere sweaters and scarves are some of its best-selling items.

Lee Ha-na, who regularly shops at Uniqlo, said she really likes Uniqlo's cashmere items, which are much cheaper than Korean and other foreign brands.

``They have a lot of nice, basic clothes like turtleneck sweaters and jeans. It is a lot like Gap, but it's more affordable. The Gap here is too expensive. And Uniqlo is not too trendy like other Korean brands. I don't think there is any Korean brand like Uniqlo,'' she said.



Muji is another Japanese lifestyle brand with a growing presence in Korea. Muji offers minimalist clothing, accessories, paper products and household goods.

The edgy Japanese street style is also gaining fans among young people, spurring a demand for Japanese brands and Japanese-style clothing.

When Hollywood celebrity Paris Hilton was spotted holding a Samantha Thavasa bag during her visit in Seoul last year, many Koreans turned to online shops to get a hold of the Japanese brand.

Internet shopping malls such as Lotte.com, GseShop and KT Mall all have sections devoted to Japanese brand shoes, clothes, accessories and bags. Lotte.com's online mall www.tokyoholic.com offers brands such as Cecille, Tasse Tasse, Jayro and Le Souk.

KT Mall introduced Japan Enjoy (http://japan.ktmall.com), which not only sells Japanese brands like Tsumori Chisato and Takeo Kikuchi, but also foreign designer brands popular among Japanese such as Vivienne Westwood and Paul Smith.

Lesser-known but stylish Japanese brands, not to mention knock-offs, are also sold on numerous small online shops and blogs.

Entertainment

Japanese dramas and cartoons have been regularly airing on cable channels, helping increase the popularity of Japanese stars.

Recognizing the popularity of Japanese pop culture, major bookstores in downtown Seoul already have extensive Japanese sections that are almost as big as the English sections.

Japanese books, comics (manga) and magazines continue to sell well. Young women can be spotted checking out trendy fashion magazines like An An, JJ, Vivi, Cawaii and Fruits for style tips. Teenage girls huddle over idol magazines Potato, Duet and Popolo featuring Japanese pop groups, Arashi, Kat-tun and News on the covers.

C.J. Kim, who is a big fan of Arashi, said the culture exchange between Korea and Japan is a good development in reducing the misunderstanding between the two countries.

``While there are definitely differences between the two countries, I can't help but feel that it would be so sad if these two countries continued to have such a hostile relationship in the future. I think by both countries exchanging cultures it really helps the younger generation to become more open-minded, not just Koreans but also Japanese,'' she said.