The Korean boom shows no sign of cooling off. About 3,500 female fans flocked to Narita Airport on Sunday to welcome actor Kwon Sangwoo (28), star of “Sad Love Song.” Kwon is on his second PR visit to Japan. He attended a “fan meeting” of about 6,000 screaming, mostly middle-aged, females at the Makuhari Messe convention center in Chiba. Tickets for the event cost up to a whopping ¥15,000 but were sold out in less than an hour. With merchandising selling like hotcakes, the brief visit to Japan is believed to have earned Kwon close to ¥200 million. The drama series, whose Japanese title has been abbreviated to “Kanakoi,” airs on Saturday afternoons on Fuji TV.
Sad Love Song official Japanese site
• Meanwhile Korean R&B singer SE7EN (20) is also in town. He played a gig at the Tokyo Bay NK Hall on Sunday, kicking off his 7-city tour of Japan. 6,000 fans who bought his album were given free invitations to Sunday’s show. He recently released “Style,” his second single in Japan.
• Top Takarazuka star Ayaki Nao (photo, 34) gave her farewell show at the Tokyo Takarazuka Theater on Sunday. More than 8,000 fans turned out in the rain to bid her farewell. Having always played male roles in the all-female troupe, she will make her debut as an “actress” in the stage production of The Producers in August.
• Pop idols Tackey and Tsubasa finished their national tour at the weekend and announced to the 15,000 fans at the Yokohama Arena that each will go on their first solo tours later in the year. Imai Tsubasa (23) will start his national tour in September at the Tokyo International Forum, while Takizawa Hideaki (23) will kick off his tour in November.