Omusubi:"Misae" Kimura Midoriko on the "difficulty of acting out the experience of being affected by the disaster" and the frustration of filming in an evacuation shelter: "I wish I could stay there and film here"

Kimura Midoriko plays Misae Sakuma, a gossipy baker in a shopping arcade in the NHK morning drama "Omusubi" (General TV, Monday to Saturday, 8:00 a.m. and others), starring actress Kanna Hashimoto. Kimura spoke about the difficulties of playing a victim of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake and the members of the Sakuradori Shopping Arcade in Kobe. ◇Filming at BK is "a relief" Kimura, who is from Hyogo Prefecture, has appeared in many morning dramas. Regarding her appearance in "Omusubi," she said, "I'm from Kansai and I often get to work in Osaka, so it's a relief to be able to film the morning drama in Osaka. BK (NHK Osaka Broadcasting Station) has a homely atmosphere, so I'm happy to be able to act in the Kansai dialect." Regarding her character Misae, she explained, "Misae, who runs a bakery in Sakura-dori Shopping Street, is a cheerful, energetic woman who tries to make people happy. She was affected by the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake 30 years ago, but people who have experienced the terrible experience of an earthquake are really strong and kind." On the other hand, she revealed, "I feel that it is difficult to act out the experience of being affected by a disaster," and said, "I have never actually been affected by a disaster, so it is absolutely impossible. But even if I keep thinking that it is impossible, I think it is important to somehow imagine what happened and act." "Even if the setting is an evacuation shelter where there is no food, no water, and you cannot change clothes for days, when filming in an actual evacuation shelter, you go to the location on that day and only film at that time. I felt frustrated that I wished I could stay there and film forever." Misae's feelings towards Takao: "If you don't have love, you won't get angry at others" Misae and other unique characters appear in the Kobe edition of "Omusubi." Regarding the people of Sakura-dori Shopping Street, Kimura commented, "Everyone knows each other, they do business together and help each other out, so there's a sense of unity. They gather at Hair Salon Yoneda all the time, and they're like a comfortable family." "Uchiba Katsunori, who plays the role of Takahashi from the tailor shop, is a professional comedian, so no matter what kind of acting we do, he'll accept it and respond to it, so it's reassuring. The other people in the shopping street are also all friendly, so I hope the good atmosphere will be conveyed through the screen." Misae has a bad relationship with Takao (Ogata Naoto), who lost his only daughter Maki (Oshima Miyu) in the earthquake and has closed his heart, but she said, "I'm sure there was a time when they were on good terms. Takao can't get over the pain of losing his daughter in the earthquake, and Misae is impatient because she wants to help him get out of that situation." "That frustration turns into anger. It's not hatred, but rather a great deal of love. You wouldn't get angry at other people without love. Because he is a person you have a deep connection with, you want to do something to help him, and that's why you also think, 'What an idiot!' It's a strong relationship. I think the depth of that connection is unique to the shopping district." Finally, she had a message for the viewers, saying, "The issues of the earthquake are at the heart of the story, and the PTSD from the earthquake is also depicted, but as a story it's always bright. That's true of the lively people in Kobe's shopping district. The gal girls are unique and cool. I hope you'll look forward to that as well."