Korean food gains popularity among young Japanese
Japanese consumers wait in line for Korean street food at Shin-Okubo in Tokyo, June 3. Korea Times file
By Kim Jae-heun
Tomoaki Jitsukawa living in Osaka has recently fallen in love with Korean-style fried chicken at local restaurant franchise Crispy Chicken n' Tomato.
“I've been to Seoul recently and tried fried chicken with cheese power sprinkled on it. I realized we also have similar food in Japan and have been enjoying it almost weekly,” said Jitsukawa, 28. “Korean food is very popular among young Japanese, who watch Korean series on Netflix a lot. I like cheese balls and fried chicken that are not too spicy.”
Another Japanese consumer Maisy Yokoyama said she often visits Shin-Okubo, the biggest Korean neighborhood in Tokyo, to eat “samgyeopsal,” or Korean grilled pork belly, with “makgeolli,” an alcoholic beverage made with fermented rice.
“Many Japanese social media influencers share videos of samgyeopsal on Instagram or TikTok these days. After watching the food online, I actually went to Shin-Okubo to try it last week. My friends also like the Korean twisted donuts they tried in Myeong-dong when they visited Seoul. Korean food has always been popular among young Japanese,” Yokoyama said.
Riding on the popularity of K-pop and K-dramas on over-the-top platforms, Korean food has been winning the hearts and stomachs of young Japanese consumers.
If older Japanese people in their 40s and 50s like traditional Korean foods such as kimchi and bibimbap, the younger generation in their 20s and 30s are going after dishes like fried chicken sprinkled with cheese powder and tornado potato snacks.
Japanese food firm Tomato and Associates' promotional poster for Korean street foods offered at Yakiniku Buffet restaurants from June 22 to Sept. 13 / Screenshot from Tomato and Associates official website
Young Japanese consumers learn about new Korean foods on YouTube, Netflix or social media.
Japan's lifting of pandemic travel restrictions to Korea last October has also boosted the popularity of Korean food in Japan. Young Japanese tourists came to Korea and tried relatively new foods that have trended among Koreans recently.
Japanese food firms and hotels are also introducing Korean foods to attract local consumers.
Japanese restaurant chain Tomato and Associates has launched Korean snacks such as the tornado potato snack and twisted donuts at its Yakiniku Buffet. It also sells Korean instant noodles and “gimbap” instead of Japanese ramen and norimaki, which are similar foods in style.
Korean food served for a lunch buffet at Osaka Marriott Miyako Hotel in Osaka / Courtesy of Marriott Miyako Hotel
Osaka Marriott Miyako Hotel in Osaka started offering various Korean dishes such as “sundubu-jjigae” (Korean soft tofu stew), “jajangmyeon” (black bean sauce noodles) and “yangnyeom” chicken (Korean-style seasoned fried chicken) at their lunch buffet on July 1.
The 7-Eleven convenience stores in Japan have been selling yukgaejang-flavored (hot spicy meat stew) instant noodles and hotteok (griddlecake with sugar and honey filling) in five kinds of lunchbox products since July 3.
“One of the reasons why Japanese firms introduce Korean street foods is because it helps them attract young consumers who are interested in Korean culture. Korean food is a good marketing strategy to target niche markets,” a local food company official said.
“Japanese consumers separate their political stance from their cultural experience. Think of Korea's relationship with Japan in the previous administration. We probably had one of the worst times with Japan, but many Japanese came to watch BTS concerts in Japan.”
Japan shares a maritime border with Korea, helping Korean food trends travel to the peninsula's neighbor faster than elsewhere.
“If you look at popular Korean foods in Japan, they are relatively new items that have trended in Korea recently,” the official said. “You don't see many Thais or Singaporeans eating tornado potato snacks or cheese gimbap in their home countries. Also, Japanese have long been big fans of Korean content. This makes it easier to adopt trendy Korean foods before other nations.”