Eric Moon, a member of the music group Shinhwa as well as an actor, has received significant media attention recently, especially in Japan.
Eric, who arrived in Japan on Dec. 18, had a hectic schedule the following day: he appeared on four Fuji TV shows -- “Warate Iitomo” (My Smiling Friend), “Answer Me,” “Iitomo Special Edition” and “Annual Hit Songs Special” -- and gave interviews to numerous Japanese dailies and magazines.
“Warate Iitomo” is a daytime variety show hosted by the famous emcee Tamori which features various regular guests, such as SMAP’s Katori Shinko, Nikai Masahiro and Kusanagi Tsuyoshi. On the show, Eric provided hints to two competing teams that tried to guess the ten most popular winter dishes in Korea.
“IItomo Special” is the Sunday edition of “Warate Iitomo.”
On “Answer Me,” which introduces stories from viewers in the form of short dramas, Eric gave an interview in the concert hall of the Fuji TV festival “Hot Fantasy Odaiba.”
On “Annual Hit Songs Special,” a Japanese pop-music chart show which airs at 12:30 a.m. every Wednesday and is hosted by a foreign emcee in English, Eric was introduced as a member of the music group Shinhwa and held a conversation with the emcee. A VTR featuring Eric and Shinhwa was also introduced on the show.
Eric, who returns to Korea Dec. 21, said he was surprised to learn that intestine casserole was selected as the most popular winter dish on "Warate IItomo.” He also added that he was nervous to appear on Japanese shows as an individual artist for the first time but had fun with the other guests, even though he does not speak Japanese.
“Mainichi Daily asked me what kind of reaction I was expecting from Japanese viewers to my latest TV drama 'Rookie,’ where I play an unemployed young man whose image is completely different from my image as a member of Shinhwa. The newspaper reporters told me that the drama will likely strike a chord with Japanese viewers because many young Japanese are having a hard time finding a job these days,” said Eric.
Source:
KBS Global
