Azerbaijan welcoming set-jetting fans of Japan TV drama "Vivant"

The country on the western shore of the Caspian Sea will likely continue welcoming more Japanese visitors, with a travel agency saying that package tour sales have been strong.

Among the set-jetters who visited Azerbaijan in late October was Mayumi Kishi, 47, from Tokyo. Standing before the ruins of a bathhouse at the Palace of the Shirvanshahs in the country's capital of Baku, which appeared in the drama as Jerusalem, Kishi said: "This is it. The character came out from this spot."

Squealing with delight, she took photos on her smartphone.

Kishi had already planned to visit Azerbaijan even before learning about where the drama series was filmed. After a suggestion by her travel companion, she decided to stop by and pay a visit to one of the places that served as the drama's filming locations. She said that she watched the drama before the trip to familiarize herself with the filming locations.

"I hope that people who have watched Vivant will visit" the country, she said.

Bukinist, a bookstore in Baku, appeared in the drama as a base for "Beppan," a purported secret intelligence unit within Japan's Self-Defense Forces that is at the center of the drama series.

Japanese visitors have become a daily sight at the store crammed full of books. Saying that such visitors walk around the store taking photos and videos, the store manager in his 50s added that the drama has helped create a warm bond between the two nations.

Japanese travel agencies have begun offering set-jetting tours.

In cooperation with Tokyo Broadcasting System Television Inc., which produced the TV drama, Hankyu Travel International Co. launched a travel package to coincide with the airing of the latest season. Some departures between late November this year and October next year already have waiting lists.

"Sales have been strong, thanks to the impact of the TV drama," an official of Hankyu Travel said, adding that the company is thinking of opening up more booking slots.

The Azerbaijani side has welcomed the rising interest generated by the drama.

Speaking in a recent interview with the Jiji Press, Rashad Azizov, director-general of Azerbaijan's Cinema Agency, said that the Japanese drama is making "history" by providing an "opening moment" to create a "bridge" between the two nations.

He expressed hopes for more Japanese tourists to visit his country to enjoy its historic sites, architecture and cuisine.