Culture ministry brings K-lifestyle showcase to Tokyo, drawing 16,000 visitors

The culture ministry said Tuesday that a Korean lifestyle showcase held in Tokyo over the weekend drew 16,000 visitors, as it moves to broaden the reach of Korean culture beyond music and drama into food, beauty and fashion.

KDAY, the ministry's two-day "K-culture" event, ran from Oct. 17 to 18 at Omotesando Hills in the Japanese capital. The ministry said 6,000 people attended events held in the three days before the main program and 10,000 came to the main exhibition itself.

The event was organized to extend "K-culture" — previously centered on arts and content — into food, beauty and fashion, the ministry said, following a first overseas edition in Bangkok in May.

Thirty-seven Korean lifestyle brands took part under three themes: roots, described as wearing tradition in today's daily life; rhythm, on managing and filling the day; and mood, on expressing personal taste. Six leading designers of modern hanbok staged a fashion show, among them Kkottieur, Weiyu, Gaeuihanbok, Somikyung, Baek Hyun-joo Hanbok Research Institute and Jaeidam.

All 23 workshops covering fashion, beauty and food were fully booked as soon as online registration opened, according to the ministry.

From Oct. 14 to 16, partner brands including Lingtee, GS25 and Anook ran pop-up stores and experience programs ahead of the main event.

On the second day of the event, SHINee singer Onew wore a hanbok he had selected himself and spoke with local visitors about Korean lifestyle.

In the Korea Foundation for International Cultural Exchange's 2026 survey of overseas Korean wave trends, Japanese respondents ranked food first among Korean cultural content they had experienced, at 90.7 percent, while beauty rose 7.4 percentage points from 36.8 percent a year earlier.

"I hope the 'K-lifestyle' that Japanese people discovered and experienced through this KDAY carries over into their actual daily lives," a ministry official in charge of the policy said. "Next year, KDAY will return in a new form as a leading model for convergence K-culture events."