Actor Furudate Yutaro, the eldest son of freelance announcer Furudate Ichiro, appeared in the 41st episode, "Yuragi", of the NHK Taiga drama "Dear Radiance(Hikaru Kimi e)", broadcast on October 27th, playing the role of Fujiwara no Michitou. This was Furutachi's first time appearing in a Taiga drama, and he said, "I never thought the day would come when I would be able to jump into the world of 'Dear Radiance' that I watched on TV. I still remember how happy I was when I heard the news."
The character he plays, Fujiwara no Michitou, is the full brother of Fujiwara no Shoko. He is rumored to be one of the nobles who was happy about Michinaga's illness when he was sick.
Yutaro commented, "This is my first Taiga drama, and it's my first NHK production in three years since the drama "The Piano Man in a Six Tatami Room", so I'm really hoping that everyone will be able to see how I've grown as an actor."
He continued, "When I was put into the costume on the first day, I was surprised at how heavy it was, thinking, 'I didn't know aristocrats had to wear so much!' Then, when I learned the movements on the stage set, I was surprised at how stiff my joints were. It was very difficult to sit in a beautiful cross-legged position or stand up. From that day onwards, I immediately joined a yoga studio and began working on improving my flexibility. On the final day of filming, when I was able to stand up smoothly from a cross-legged position, I was secretly moved by how much I had grown."
Regarding the drama, he said, "Even though it is a story from a long time ago, the language, clothes, and lifestyle are all different from today, I felt like I was watching us living in the present." She added, "The beautiful and heartbreaking human drama taught me that 'people's feelings' are the same in any era. As a viewer, I like the scenes where unique and humorous characters appear and light is softly shining even in serious episodes."
