"Listen to K-pop and eat pork belly." Thanks to Yang Jae-min, the Korean Wave is blowing in basketball!
"Listen to K-pop and eat pork belly." Thanks to Yang Jae-min, the Korean Wave is blowing in basketball!
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Japanese basketball fans listened to K-pop and ate pork belly at the stadium. It is thanks to Yang Jae-min (25, Sendai), the "national forward."
The Sendai Atinainers, which Yang Jae-min belongs to, beat Koshiya Alfaz 87-78 in the eighth round of the regular season of the Japanese professional basketball B-League in the 2024-25 season at Kamei Arena in Sendai City on the 26th after a close game of the second playoff. Sendai, which had been mired in six consecutive losses since the opening, recently rebounded by winning two consecutive games.
Yang Jae-min, who played as the main forward, suffered from foul trouble in the first half. He hit a valuable 3-pointer to the rim at the end of the fourth quarter. The game went to extra time. Yang Jae-min played well in defense by successfully stealing consecutive plays. Yang Jae-min was sent off for five fouls in the first playoff, but Sendai won the second playoff.
There was another reason why the victory was meaningful. This is because Sendai hosted "Korea Day" for the second consecutive year. To mark Korea Day, a corner was held to introduce K-food to Japanese fans. Sendai received great response by providing Shin Ramen to all visitors with the support of Nongshim Japan. As Korean dramas are popular in Japan, there were no spectators who didn't know Shin Ramen.
There is also a corner selling Korean food such as pork belly, tteokbokki, japchae, and cup noodles in the stadium. The pork belly rice bowl that Yang Jae-min advertises was a popular menu. The reporter also paid 1,000 yen to eat Yang Jae-min's pork belly rice bowl. He put boiled meat, ssamjang, spinach, and kimchi on top of the rice. It was not a bad choice for a meal at the basketball court.
Sendai develops and sells food menus that are modeled after players. American players modeled for pizza, hamburgers, and hot dogs. They developed Japanese food, including rice balls, based on the motif of Japanese players. Yang Jae-min, a popular player, also sold desserts such as strawberry kkwa-kwa-gi.
It was also unusual for Japan to be allowed to drink freely in basketball courts like the NBA. Beagirls from all over the place visited the spectators and sold beer there. It was a considerable amount of 750 yen (about 6,800 won) for a large glass, but the spectators constantly called for Beagirl. There was a bar on the courtside, and even cocktails such as high balls were manufactured and sold by themselves.
They were also excited while eating and drinking. K-pop was constantly playing at the stadium. Songs such as New Jeans, iB, Blackpink, Aespa, and BTS that are popular in Japan these days were released. Especially, when Rosé's APT, which is dominating the music charts recently, Japanese fans sang along with her, which surprised the reporter. Songs such as Kara, Big Bang, and Girls' Generation, which were extremely popular in Japan in the 2000s, were also released, and the fans were very happy. The power of Korean culture was immense.
Fans are willing to open their wallets in order to own goods that value them. The boom in the Korean Wave culture eventually led to huge consumption. Japanese fans ate Korean food and enjoyed Korean singer music while even consuming goods. On the occasion of "Korea Day," limited edition goods with the players' names written in Korean were released. They were so popular that fans lined up to buy them. Among them, Yang Jae-min's muffler was sold out early.
"Yang Jae-min is a highly sought-after player. We have hosted Korea Day every year since we recruited Yang Jae-min. Fortunately, the reaction is good," a Sendai team official said. "Korea Day has become an important event for exchanges between Korea and Japan, with even Kim Yo-seop, consul general of the Republic of Korea, visiting the stadium."
If Sendai had lost on the feast day, it would have created an awkward atmosphere. However, the mood was heightened as Sendai won the game after the second extra time. Yang Jae-min was at the center of the game. Yang Jae-min was named the hidden MVP of the game.
"Yang Jae-min is the face of Korea and Sendai," Sendai coach Hiroki Fujita said. "Yang Jae-min is the face of Korea and Sendai. As Sendai's representative player, he is playing a role in promoting Japanese basketball to Korea. It was a game that meant a lot to Yang because he won on Korea Day."
Yang Jae-min said, "Thank you for this event. There are many players from various countries in the Japanese professional basketball league, but we are the only team that holds such a special event as Korean Day. It is an honor to have no "American Day" and no "Philippino Day," he said, thanking the team for its interest and support. 토토사이트