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Korean model and influencer Ran focuses on trends in Japan and Korea

2023.10.16

#OTHER

A circle of friends connected by gut touch! The “FIST BUMP” corner of the radio program “GRAND MARQUEE” features people who live and enjoy Tokyo in a relay format.

On August 24, model and influencer Ran-san appeared on the show, introduced by Shogo-san of the vintage clothing store “Fukaroku” in Koenji. We asked her about how she came to be active in Japan, what surprised her when she came to Japan, and her recommendations for places and trends in Japan and Korea.

I taught myself Japanese. I got good at it when I was talking with my friends.

Celeina (MC): First of all, I would like to make a little appeal.

Takano (MC): Appeal time, let’s start!

Celeina: We share the same birthday! I’m much older than her, but we have the same birthday on March 7!

Ran: Hello! We are friends.

Celeina: We are Pisces mates. We have the same star sign.

Ran: Hello! I’m Ran.

Celeina: Cute (laughs). Thank you very much.

Ran: It’s my pleasure.

Takano: Just because we share the same birthday, it makes us feel a little closer.

Ran: Wow.

Takano: Also, Celeina is checking out TikTok.

Celeina: That’s right. I’ve seen your TikTok.

Ran: You’re lying!

Celeina: Yesterday, when your name came up, I said “Ran-sama~! when your name came up.

Ran: Thank you. Thank you very much.

Takano: Do you often appear on the radio?

Ran: No, it’s been a while. Yes, it’s been a while.

Celeina: Have you ever been on the radio in Korea?

Ran: In Korea, I am usually a student and have never been involved in this kind of activity.

Celeina: Zero?

Ran: Yes.

Takano: Only in Japan, such influencer activities?

Ran: Yes, yes, yes.

Takano: It draws me in a bit (laughs). Good talk.

Celeina: For those of you who are new to Ran, what was it that brought you to Japan and got you started?

Ran: I started SNS in Korea about 2 or 3 years ago, and from the beginning, my Japanese fans gradually increased. Then I was approached by my current agency, and I decided to come to Japan to work.

Celeina: Wow! Did you study Japanese from there?

Ran: I never studied it. I just talked with my Japanese friends and it was kind of cool.

Takano: That’s amazing! Is there such a thing?

Ran: Here it is.

Takano: (laughs). It was here!

Celeina: Cool, Ran.

Takano: When did you come to Japan?

Ran: Just about a year ago. I came last June.

Takano: And you’ve been living in Japan since then?

Ran: Yes!

Takano: That’s amazing. But if you can speak this much Japanese, it’s no problem at all.

Celeina: It’s not like you’ve been watching or reading Japanese anime or manga, right?

Ran: No, I always liked Japanese anime.

Celeina: Wow, really?

Ran: I have always liked anime. But when I was watching it, I didn’t learn to speak Japanese. So …… talent.

Celeina: I mean talent (laughs).

Takano: By the way, what kind of anime did you like?

Ran: I still watch a lot of anime, but my favorite is “Saiki Kusuo no Ψ難.

Celeina: What anime have you watched recently?

Ran: A little recently, I watched the latest season of “Hero Academia” (“My Hero Academia”). I like it a lot.

Takano: I would like to receive messages from people who like the same anime.

Ran: I’d like that. Please do.

Shimokitazawa and Koenji are recommended in Japan, and Seongsu-dong is recommended in Korea.

Celeina: What surprised you when you came to Japan?

Ran: The most surprising thing is that there are so many bicycles that it kills me.

Celeina: Do you ride bicycles much in Korea?

Ran: Yes, I do, but not this many.

Takano: I see. Do you ride a bicycle?

Ran: I sometimes rent a bike in town, but I am afraid of getting into an accident, so I don’t ride a bike very often.

Celeina: (laughs). Safety comes first, so it’s a good mindset.

Takano: It’s something you don’t notice when you live in Japan. It is strange that there are so many bicycles in Japan.

Celeina: Do you have any favorite places to visit in Japan these days, or any areas that you would like to introduce to your Korean friends when they come to Japan?

Ran: Well, when my Korean friends come to Japan, they only go to Shibuya, Shinjuku, and other well-known places. But Shimokitazawa and Koenji are not well known yet. From a Japanese point of view, they are just normal places to hang out. When I go to those places with them, they are very happy to see me.

Takano: I see. Shimokitazawa and Koenji.

Celeina: That makes me happy.

Takano: What kind of places do you see when you go to Shimokitazawa and Koenji?

Ran: Secondhand clothing stores. There are so many beautiful coffee shops in Koenji and Shimokitazawa. I hear that coffee shops make them feel very Japanese. They are very happy.

Takano: Do you like coffee, Ran-san?

Ran: I don’t drink coffee.

Celeina: What do you order when you go to a coffee shop?

Ran: Ginger ale.

Takano: I think that’s rare.

Ran: I also drink a lot of cocoa. Cocoa is probably my favorite.

Celeina: It’s delicious, isn’t it?

Takano: On the other hand, if we were to go to Korea for fun, do you have any recommendations?

Ran: After all, we really want to go to places where Koreans go. There is a place in Seoul called Seongsu-dong, where many Koreans in their 20s go to have fun. There are a lot of very fashionable cafes there.

Takano: Like Shimokitazawa in Tokyo?

Ran: I don’t know about that.

Takano: I don’t know (laughs).

Celeina: By the way, there are many cafes here in Seongsu-dong. What do you think are the latest café sweets that are popular in Korea?

Ran: I don’t know if it’s the latest, but lettering cakes have been popular for quite a while.

Celeina: Lettering cake?

Takano: What the heck is that?

Ran: It’s a trend that if the customer who buys the cake asks for lettering, they can have it drawn on the cake in a fashionable way.

Celeina: I might have understood if you told me. It’s a little colorful and pop, and the words “Happy Birthday” are not drawn on the plate, but on the cake itself.

Ran: Cakes that look a bit old-fashioned like that are quite popular.

Takano: I want to eat a cake with “GRAND MARQUEE” lettering.

Celeina: That sounds good. It looks delicious.

Ran: I want some. Please give it to me.

Celeina: Thank you (laughs). I asked Ran to choose a song that she would like us to listen to together on the radio at this time.

Ran: It’s called “Sulk” by Radiohead.

Celeina: Why did you choose that song?

Ran: I have always loved Radiohead, but to be honest, I don’t really listen to their songs during the daytime, and I really like songs that are easy to listen to at night. So I don’t really know what songs go well with daytime, but of all the Radiohead songs, this one is the most evening-like and …… is good.

Celeina: He said it’s good (laughs).

Aimyon and imase are popular in Korea

Celeina: Korean culture is exploding in Japan right now, but I’ve heard that Japanese culture is also popular in Korea.

Ran: It ‘s really popular. Especially Japanese songs are popular. Anime and other things have been popular for a long time, but the songs have become popular.

Takano: What kind of Japanese music is popular?

Ran: Songs by Aimyon, for example. Also, imase’s music is super popular in Korea.

Celeina: That makes me happy. So, if you ask a person in his/her teens or twenties in Korea to sing a Japanese song, can he/she sing a song by Aimyon or imase?

Ran: I think I can. Really, really.

Celeina: That much! That’s amazing.

Takano: We are also happy, or rather, we are learning a lot.

Celeina: I guess it’s easier to reach them now with the development of SNS.

Ran: After Corona, a lot of Koreans are traveling to Japan, so maybe that’s why they became more popular. I don’t know.

Celeina: I see (laughs). By the way, today on “GRAND MARQUEE,” we are asking listeners for their recommendations for horror movies, manga, and other horror works.

Ran: I can’t watch them. I’m not very good at it.

Takano: Powerful! (laughs)

Celeina: I’m angry (laughs). (laughs) I mean, it’s a complete NG.

Ran: But there was one movie that I was forced to watch. It was a foreign horror movie called “Inheritance.” I couldn’t even stand the atmosphere of a movie theater with a scary movie playing, so I watched the whole movie with my eyes closed.

Celeina: The kind you can’t see (laughs).

Ran: It was probably scary. You should all see it.

Celeina: What about haunted houses? Have you ever been in a Japanese haunted house?

Ran: No, I haven’t.

Celeina: There are various genres of haunted houses, and some Japanese amusement parks are said to be the scariest in the world, so if you have a chance to fall in love with horror in the future, I hope you will experience a Japanese haunted house.

Ran: Oh ……. I hate …… now.

Celeina: Thank you (laughs). I hope everyone will check out Ran’s social networking sites, Instagram, TikTok, X, etc.

Ran: Please do.

Celeina: “FIST BUMP” today we welcome model and influencer Ran. Thank you very much.

Ran: Thank you very much.

GRAND MARQUEE

J-WAVE (81.3FM) Mon-Thu 16:00 – 18:50
Navigator: Shinya Takano, Celeina Ann

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