Over the past decade and a half, the world became captivated by the allure of Turkish television dramas. Viewers all over the world became enamored by attractive actors, tantalizing views of Istanbul, and compelling narratives. Turkish TV series unraveled local cultural dynamics, histories, and anxieties, as millions around the world came to terms with this powerful new global media. Burgeoning academic scholarship has explored the global popularity of Turkish TV series. The Middle East and the Balkans, as well as Latin America, are the most prominent foci of scholarship, and studies are slowly emerging from Western Europe and Central and South Asia. At the intersection of global media studies and cultural diplomacy, this study, through in-depth interviews with a diverse cohort of Japanese audience members who regularly consume Turkish series, will provide a first look at the phenomenon of Turkish series in East Asia. These interviews are designed to extract nuanced understandings of the viewers' perceptions, emotional engagements, and the cultural dialogues initiated by their exposure to Turkish storytelling. Central to this investigation is the theory of Neo-Ottomanism as a form of soft power, a strategic deployment of Turkey's historical and cultural assets to forge stronger international relations and cultural ties. The concept of neo-Ottoman cool (Kraidy & Al-Ghazzi, 2013) highlights the role of popular culture in transcending traditional diplomacy. By analyzing the narratives, themes, and cultural motifs appreciated by Japanese audiences, this study seeks to map the contours of Turkish influence through media, shedding light on how Turkish television series contribute to the broader discourse of cultural globalization and soft power dynamics. Through thematic analysis of interview transcripts, the project aims to identify key factors contributing to the popularity of Turkish series among Japanese viewers, including perceptions of cultural proximity, the appeal of Turkish historical narratives, and the role of media in shaping cross-cultural understandings. This research not only contributes to the scholarly understanding of global media flows and cultural diplomacy but also offers insights into the potential of television series as vehicles for soft power and intercultural dialogue.