Japan after the South Korean government lifted the 30-year ban on cultural exchange with Japan that had been in place since 1948. Korean pop cultural products' success in the Japanese market is partially explained by the borrowing of Japanese ideas such as the star-marketing system and heavy promotion of new television shows and music. Korean dramas such as "Winter Sonata" and "Coffee Prince," as well as K-pop artists such as BIGBANG and SHINee are very popular with Japanese consumers. Most recently, South Korean President Moon Jae-in met with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the 2017 G-20 Summit in Hamburg, Germany
Public holidays in Japan Public holidays in Japan Prior to Japan's adoption of the Gregorian calendar in 1873, the dates of holidays were based on the traditional Chinese lunisolar calendar. Thus, New Year's Day, for example, was celebrated at the beginning of spring, as it is in modern China, Korea and Vietnam. Japan has 16 national, government-recognized holidays. The national holidays in 2018 are as follows. <nowiki>*</nowiki> When a holiday falls on a Sunday it is celebrated the following Monday. The national holidays in 2019 are as follows. <nowiki>*</nowiki> When a holiday falls on a Sunday it is celebrated the following Monday. In addition