Riho Yoshioka plays real estate agent Tachibana Yomogi in the NHK evening drama "Hira Yasumi" (General TV, Monday to Thursday, 10:45 PM), starring actor Okayama Amane. The drama has aired up to its third week. "The third week is my favorite week. At the Tanabata Festival, she tells Hiroto how she really feels, and then there's a thaw, and they laugh together. I think it was the week that gets to the heart of the story," says Yoshioka, talking about the highlights of the fourth week, which begins on November 24th.
The drama is based on the manga of the same name by Shinzo Keigo, which has been serialized in Weekly Big Comic Spirits since 2021. The story follows 29-year-old part-time worker Ikuta Hiroto (Okayama) who inherits a single-story house from his neighbor, Wada Hanae (Negishi Tokie), and begins living with his 18-year-old cousin Kobayashi Natsumi (Mori Nana), who moved to Tokyo from Yamagata. People with difficult life problems gather around them...
Yomogi is a hard worker and is considered an ace at work. However, she is so consumed with work that she leads a life that is a little on the edge of her seat. She becomes acquainted with Hiroto by chance, but is sometimes annoyed by his carefree nature. In the third week, she loses her beloved cat at home, and in her pain, she snaps at the carefree Hiroto, but later regrets her actions and apologizes to him. The two of them have grown a little closer in their hearts.
Regarding the fourth week, Yoshioka said, "First of all, in the third week, Hideki (played by Yoshimura Kaito) announced that he had given birth to a baby, and there is a scene where the baby meets Hiroto and Natsumi! This is also the episode where a new character, Saki (Hideki's wife), played by Misako Renbutsu, appears, so I'm really looking forward to it. There is also a scene where Nacchan goes to the editorial department to bring in the manga! I love this scene in the original work, so rather than as Yomogi, I am cheering for her as Riho Yoshioka, saying, 'Do your best, Nacchan!' I can't wait to see how Nacchan reacts."
Yoshioka herself announced that she will be "showing off some incredible sprints" as Yomogi. "It's been so long since I last sprinted like that since I became an adult that I ended up with muscle pain the next day. I hope you'll pay attention to Yomogi's crazy sprints."
There are two weeks left in the drama. "It's really sad that it's ending in five weeks. I hope that the night drama will continue to be broadcast every day for a long time, just like the Asadora. I'm sure everyone wants to watch it every day too. Well, see you again in the main program of 'Hirayasumi'. Bye!" she said to viewers.
