Recently in Japan, the public television network aired a miniseries from Korea titled, "Winter Sonata."  It is sort of a love story/ life chronicle of a pair that met early in life and were then seperated.  It was really well-received in Japan.

Rarely does a day pass on Japanese television where this show is somehow referenced.  The characters from the drama can be seen in commercials.  There are soundtracks, songs, and DVDs for sale related to the series.  Comedy shows parody the characters.  Chat and variety shows often do features or have discussions related to the series.  I haven't seen anything take off like this in Japan since "Titanic," or maybe the "Tamagotchi."  It has become a strong force in Japanese popular culture.

This drama has also caused a spike in interest about Korea.  People are eating korean food, and studying Korean language in greater numbers than before.  There is also a greater interest in consuming Korean popular culture.

Today's news reported that since the airing of the drama, Japanese tourism to Korea has increased 40%.  Wow!  A lot of the tourists are coming specifically for the "Winter Sonata Tour."  (Guests visit locales featured in the series.  My wife's sister-in-law has in fact been on this very tour.  She said it was great.)  The news report said that this spike has been really good for Korea's economy. 

The influence of this one television show is very impressive, isn't it?