The number of Japanese tourists visiting Korea is growing ever higher with the fall of the won against the yen slashing the prices of products for Japanese visitors by half or even more.
And shops in Seoul's downtown Myeongdong and Namdaemun Market areas both shopping meccas for Japanese tourists are doing quite well despite otherwise plunging domestic demand.
Japanese visitors often see as a must-buy the Korean-style edible seaweed known as gim .
It is toasted with sesame oil and salt seasoning and is eaten as a side dish.
[Interview : ] "In Japan, we just eat it lightly roasted or just as it is. But the Korean seaweed was delicious, so I came back to buy some more."
And it is not just the gim that Japanese tourists love they also buy gochujang , the red pepper paste that is essential to so many Korean dishes.
They like these food items because both gim and gochujang represent Korea and taste differently from Japanese foods.
[Interview : ] "They are not just here to buy groceries. They are coming to Korea to buy all sorts of things from merchandise depicting internationally popular Korean stars.. to cosmetics and luxury goods. They even buy Japanese brands in Korea seeking low prices."
This shop sells Japanese brand clothing.
Many Japanese shoppers are flooding over to Korea to buy these brands for much less than the price they would pay at home.
[Interview : ] "January sales have increased by 130 percent compared to the same time last year, and the number of Japanese customers has doubled."
[Interview : ] "Clothes are cheaper in Korea and there are clothes that are not in Japan."
And make-up products are perennial favorites.
In particular the Japanese visitors are in love with Korean-made blemish balm creams.
But retailers are worried that the shopping trend will die out when the Korean won recovers.
They are saying the only way to stay out of recession is to increase domestic consumption.
Choi Wonyoung, Arirang News.
FEB 26, 2009
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Arirang Town
Wednesday, FEB 10, 2010, (KST) 
