The production announcement and lead press conference for the NHK morning drama series for the first half of 2026 was held on January 24th at the NHK Broadcasting Center in Shibuya, Tokyo, where it was announced that the title would be "Kaze, Kaoru" (Asadora, Fragrance) and that Mikami Ai would play the lead role. Production manager Takehiro Matsuzono spoke about the reason for casting Mikami.
Mikami-san attracted attention for her excellent performance as Empress Fujiwara no Shoko, who serves the main character Mahiro (played by Murasaki Shikibu and Yoshitaka Yuriko) in the 2024 taiga drama "Dear Radiance (Hikaru Kimi e)". She was offered the role in "Kaze, Kaoru" rather than through an audition, and Matsuzono cited Mikami-san's excellent performance in "Dear Radiance (Hikaru Kimi e)" as the reason for this.
Matsuzono revealed how she met Mikami, saying, "We worked together on the taiga drama, ' To Dear Radiance (Hikaru Kimi e).'" She continued, "She played Fujiwara no Michinaga's daughter, Akiko, who initially showed no emotions, but by the end of the drama she became something of a godmother. I was impressed by her approach to the role, as well as her rich expressiveness, her eye-catching presence, and her frank and charming personality, and I really wanted her to play the role of Ichinose Rin, so I offered her the role."
The 114th serial TV drama, "Kaze, Kaoru" is set in the Meiji era and is a buddy drama about two trained nurses, Ozeki Chika and Suzuki Masa. The two graduated from the same nursing school, they struggle with how to deal with patients and doctors, and grow while clashing with each other, eventually becoming the "strongest buddy".
Mikami will play one of the main characters, Ichinose Rin, while the other main character, Ooya Naomi, will be chosen through an audition. The script will be written by Tomoko Yoshizawa, who has worked on dramas such as "Lucky Person," "Dr. DMAT," "I Don't Love You That Much," and "A Story to Read on the Day I Fall in Love for the First Time," and Matsuzono, who was in charge of last year's taiga drama "To Dear Radiance (Hikaru Kimi e)," will be the production manager.