AKITA — South Korean tourists are flocking in large numbers to snow-covered Akita Prefecture thanks to a South Korean TV spy drama featuring the popular Lee Byung Hun.
The Japan office of South Korean travel agency Hanatour said about 1,500 sightseers from South Korea showed up in January and February, about 50 times more than during the same period last year.
The surge forced the agency to route tourist groups through Aomori airport north of Akita because the direct flights between between Akita and South Korea couldn't handle the extra numbers.