The new cast for the NHK morning drama "Kaze, Kaoru," starring Ai Mikami and Juri Uesaka, which will air in the first half of 2026, has been announced on the drama's official account (@asadora_nhk), and it has been revealed that actor and multi-artist Akira Kigoshi will be appearing. Kigoshi, who will be appearing in an morning drama for the first time, will play Shinobu Yanagida, a classmate from the training school.
Shinobu, played by Kigoshi, is the fourth daughter of a large kimono shop. She enrolls in a training school after being inspired by the nurse uniforms she saw in a Western book. She doesn't want to get married and hates studying. Her unique sensibilities sometimes confuse those around her.
Kigoshi said, "Shinobu is not timid at all. When the staff called her a Meiji-era gal, I was shocked and thought, 'I see,'" she said. "I think she is a bright, strong woman who follows her heart's excitement rather than what society considers "happiness," enrolls in nursing school, and moves forward in life with the wind in her heart. She absorbs all the winds, both headwinds and tailwinds, and moves forward! I would be very happy if I could deliver that kind of energy together with all the wonderful people involved in the production. I will do my best. I hope that a good wind blows in everyone's daily lives!"
She continued, "I think it's a really cute and wonderful culture that enjoying stories is incorporated into morning life, and that people wake up to watch the TV in anticipation of the next story. I myself have watched some shows over and over again, and I have a friend who used to be late for school to watch the morning drama. I can't wait to tell her about it, and I feel humbled knowing that there are so many people all over Japan who look forward to it every morning, just like her!"
"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.
