Yuuka Hasumi put high school on hold and flew to South Korea in February to try her chances at becoming a K-pop star, even if it means long hours of vocal and dance training, no privacy, no boyfriend and even no phone.
Hasumi, 17, joined Acopia School in Seoul, a prep school offering young Japanese a shot at K-pop stardom, teaching them the dance moves, the songs and the language.
She is one of an estimated 1 million other K-pop star wannabes, from South Korea and abroad, hoping to get a shot at highly competitive auditions held by major talent agencies that take on just a select few as "trainees."