The new cast of the NHK Asadora drama "Kaze,Kaoru, " starring Ai Mikami and Juri Kosaka in the first half of 2026, has been announced on the official NHK Drama X (＠nhk_dramas) website, with 10 cast members announced: Sano Shoya, Fujiwara Kisetsu, Hayashi Yuta, Bando Yajuro, Uchida Chika, Ogura Fumiya, Kataoka Tsurutaro, Matsukane Yoneko, Hirooka Yuriko, and Harumi Shiho from the popular group " Ae! group." This will be Sano, Fujiwara, and Yajuro's first appearance in a Asadora.
Sano plays Shimada Kenjiro, a confidant of one of the main characters, Ichinose Rin (played by Mikami), who has a deep knowledge of newly created words and foreign languages.
Fujiwara plays Kohinata Eisuke, a young man who has a fateful encounter with one of the main characters, Oya Naomi (played by Uesaka), a naval lieutenant returning from the United States.
Hayashi plays Makimura Taichi, Kenjiro's best friend and student.
Yajuro plays Shimizu Usaburo, who runs Mizuhoya, a Nihonbashi store that sells a wide range of imported goods, and becomes deeply involved with Rin and Naomi.
Uchida plays Yanagawa Aya, a sales clerk at Mizuhoya, who knows the store's products better than anyone else and is also good at serving foreign customers.
Ogura plays Kisuke Matsubara, a clerk at Mizuhoya. While he is a clerk at Mizuhoya, he is also entrusted with the role of head clerk.
Kataoka plays Katsu Kaishu, an old friend of Usaburo, who occasionally pops into Mizuhoya, the restaurant run by Usaburo.
Matsukane plays Toyo Oya, Naomi's neighbor in the tenement house where she lives. Hirooka plays Kiku Oya, Naomi's neighbor in the tenement house where she lives. Harumi plays Kahei Oya, the landlord of the tenement house where Naomi lives.
Chief Producer Matsuzono Takehiro, who is in charge of production, commented, "This time, we have announced the people that Rin and Naomi will meet in Tokyo and who will bring them the sounds of civilization and enlightenment. There are three young men, Shimada, Kohinata, and Makimura, as well as Usaburo and the other members of Mizuho-ya. The famous Katsu Kaishu. And the landlords, who are not family but all share the same surname. What kind of world will these wonderful, wonderful, and ``colorful'' people invite Rin and Naomi into? I can't wait to see what kind of acting Ensemble will emerge on the set. There are many more new announcements to come, so please look forward to it."
"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. The two graduated from the same nursing school, but struggle with how to interact with patients and doctors, and grow as they clash, eventually becoming the "strongest buddy."
