Kimonos and national treasures

12 May 10, 2008July 26, 2008

by javabeans

Since May 7, the upcoming drama When Night Falls has been filming in Japan; lead actress Kim Sun Ah wears a kimono (above) while filming on location in the city of Kanazawa in Ishikawa Prefecture. (I suppose the more literal title translation is “Every Time Night Falls.”)

The actress attended junior and senior high school in Japan, and regaled the crew with a playful geisha impersonation on set. In the drama, she plays a spinster who works with cultural treasures. He’s an art professor with an interest in said treasures. Love ensues in a “cheerful,” “lively” and “sweet” romantic comedy.

According to the production team, the most difficult aspect about filming in Japan has been a result of Kanazawa being a history-rich location with a number of national landmarks and treasures. Thus the crew was kept under strict filming restrictions for fear of damage to property and cultural artifacts. Smoking was restricted, littering was forbidden, and to preserve the ground, people were even kept from moving in large numbers.

Kim Sun Ah stars opposite Lee Dong Gun (who was apparently visited daily by Japanese ajumma fans — some even reduced to tears), who continued on with filming despite the recent murder of his younger brother in Australia in March. The drama also stars Lee Soo Kyung (Golden Age of Daughters in Law, Soulmate) and premieres June 16 on MBC after Yi San (finally!) wraps.

Via My Daily

SONG OF THE DAY

Sakanaction – “白波トップウォーター” Shiranami Top Water. I don’t have much occasion to post Japanese music (and I don’t listen to it as much as, say, Korean or Western), but I sneak it in when I can. My tastes with Japanese music are pretty similar to my Korean music tastes — mostly indie and rock, both of which describe this band. [ Download ]

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1 AudHepFan

May 10, 2008 at 5:27 PM

kim sun ah is always good in romantic comedies. this should be a good one.
lee dong gun on the other hand... is more suited for melodramas.

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2 Alodia

May 10, 2008 at 5:32 PM

Yay! Thanks javabeans.
I'm always happy everytime you feature Kim Suna.
I'm dying to see this drama. ^^

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3 belleza

May 10, 2008 at 5:33 PM

Nice call on Sakanaction. They're like a cross between the Police and Roller Coaster.

What made LDG popular in Japan? Was it Lovers in Paris? His music career?

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4 all4movies

May 10, 2008 at 6:07 PM

omo. this sounds exactly the kind of story that would interest me.
Hooray for Kim Sun Ah. It looks to be another cute drama.
Not sure about LDG though. He was just ok for me in Lovers in Paris.
Nice touch with choice of Sakanaction (one more for my cd).