The new cast for the NHK Asadora drama "Kaze,Kaoru ," starring Ai Mikami and Juri Kosaka , which will air in the first half of 2026, has been announced on the official NHK drama website (@nhk_dramas), revealing that actor Chika Uchida will be appearing. She will play Yanagawa Aya, a shop assistant at Mizuhoya. This will be Uchida's first appearance in a Asadora in 11 years, since "Mare" in the first half of 2015.
Uchida plays Yanagawa Fumiko, a sales clerk at Mizuhoya who knows the store's products better than anyone else and is also able to serve foreign customers.
Uchida commented, "I jumped for joy. At this stage, Fumie is a bit mysterious. I would like to carefully get close to her and gently unravel what is at the heart of her. There is so much I want to learn that I feel like no amount of time would be enough, but I really love this time of preparation. I hope that ' Kaze,Kaoru' will be a production that will make everyone who watches it wake up early in anticipation of the broadcast."
"Kaze,Kaoru" is the 114th serial TV drama. Set in the Meiji era, it is a buddy drama featuring two trained nurses, Ozeki Chika and Suzuki Masa, as its two protagonists. The two graduated from the same nursing school, but struggle with how to interact with patients and doctors, and grow through clashes, eventually becoming the "strongest buddy." Migami plays the lead role of Ichinose Rin, while Uesaka plays Oya Naomi.
