How Idols Live Abroad

Having overseas activities has become a regular part of idols’ lives and schedules. Sometimes being abroad for up to a year and half at a time, one can’t help wonder where they sleep and how they eat. In a generation of global K-Pop, let’s take a look into the daily lives of idols abroad.

“Wonder Girls and Girl’s Generation‘s Protection of Privacy is the Best” 

Like their domestic activities, Wonder Girls’ and SNSD’s global activities are just as common. They even have living accommodations abroad. Wonder Girls, who started activities in the United States in 2009, stayed at the New York Manhattan JYP USA building for awhile, but last year moved out to an apartment. Although accommodations a bit tight, all five girls have a room to their own. After getting used to life abroad, the girls often cook Korean meals together. 

SNSD. who are regulars in Japan, have a villa in Shibuya all to themselves. In Seoul, they lodge in a 314m² (1,030 sq ft) villa; however, because there is difficulty in finding as wide an accommodation in Japan, they take up two villas that have two rooms each. They usually eat out, but when they are in the villa, their meals are cooked by a maid who helps them out. 

CN Blue, who made their Japan debut on September 19, is used to activities abroad from starting to have regular activities since 2009. Before, they spent their days in Shinjuku in a small two-bedroom apartment cooking for themselves. However, recently they started to use hotels. This is from fans finding out where they live and causing a bit of an inconvenience to the boys’ privacy. 

CN Blue’s company FNC Music stated, “We prefer to book hotels close to where they are performing. We’re not sure at this point if we’re going to continue to book hotels or look for a more permanent accommodation.”  

Having a permanent place to live is good for privacy. The fact that they are able to cook in these accommodations is a good thing too.

“KARA and 2NE1 use hotels. Although temporary, the cost in comparison with efficiency is good.” 

Idols that have recently debuted in Japan in the last year or so tend to grab hotels as a means for lodging. This is because they don’t have long periods of actives in Japan at a time. Whenever activities pop up, these groups come visit for shorter periods of time. However, with each group, which hotels they choose and how they use them are a bit different. 

Kara and 2NE1 in particular use a designated hotel. In Kara’s case they have a long-term contract with a well known hotel in Akasaka. When Kara decides to stay in Japan, this hotel agreed to  provide them their designated rooms and not take guests in rooms around them. For meals, they usually take use of hotel meals, eat where they are carrying out their activities, and sometimes go out for Korean at Akasaka or Shinjuku. 

2NE1 takes use of a hotel that in Shibuya that is close to convenient modes of transportation. YG artists take use of the same hotel and are treated as regular guests, having certain rooms reserved for their use and having little details taken care of to ensure their comfort and privacy. 

Cube Entertainment artists such as BEAST, and 4minute rotate among designated hotels they stay at in locations such as Akasaka and Shibuya. They choose their location based on where they hold their activities, choosing hotels that are closer. Cube Entertainment is planning to have more regular activities in Japan and plan to find more permanent accommodations for their artists. 

Groups such as 2PM, T-ara, and Secret who recently made their debuts in Japan, all use hotels. Meals are usually eaten on the go or on site where they are. 2PM chooses based on the proximity to their locations for activities, and Secret chooses their hotel based on level of comfort. Whenever 2PM visits Japan, they frequent Korean restaurants in Akasaka.

These hotels cost less than permanent accommodations. In the case of Shibuya two-bedroom apartments go from approximately $9000-$12000 a month, while a room in a five-star hotel in Tokyo are on average $300 per day.