Ai Mikami actor Bandō Juri Kosaka plays Shimizu Usaburo, the owner of " Kaze,Kaoru " (NHK General, Monday-Saturday 8:00 AM, etc.), which stars Ai Mikami and Juri Uesaka. He spoke about his impressions of the role he plays and the set of "Mizuho-ya."
Yajuro plays Shimizu Usaburo, who runs "Mizuho-ya," a shop in Nihonbashi that deals extensively in imported goods. He becomes deeply involved with Rin and Naomi... that's the role he plays.
Yajuro shared his impressions of Usaburo, saying, "He participated in the 1867 Paris World's Fair as a merchant, and he was someone who took an early interest in English and foreign cultures. I think he was a person who was very curious and jumped into the changes of the times."
"When I considered what role I would play in this drama, I deliberately avoided delving too deeply into the real person so as not to solidify my image of him, and instead wanted to get as close as possible to the image of Usaburo that the directors were trying to create in this work."
When she first met with the production team, she was told, "The image is of the rabbit from 'Alice in Wonderland'," and she revealed, "I was very surprised by that, but in the scene where she meets Rin, she gives her chocolate, which Rin has never eaten before, and performs magic tricks, and I felt that she is a mysterious and fun character who invites the lost Rin into a new world."
"Usaburo, who is excited by changing times and new things, noticed Rin sitting there and sensed that she had some kind of problem that was different from others, so he struck up a conversation with her, and I think he was very interested in what she had to say, so he invited her to his shop."
Regarding the set for "Mizuho-ya," the shop run by Usaburo, he shared some behind-the-scenes details, saying, "It's interesting. First of all, it's small (laughs). I'm a big guy, so at first it was a struggle to walk around, but I've recently figured out the trick."
"A huge number of products are lined up in that small space, and each item is meticulously crafted. It's a shop that blends the aspects of introducing things imported from abroad to Japanese people during that era with introducing old Japanese things to foreigners, so it's fun just to look around."
Yajuro speculated, "Usaburo is interested in everything, so I'm sure he'll just keep buying things," and explained, "There's a rabbit figurine in front of the shop, and my outfit includes a hat, a cane, and a bow tie. It's like a gateway to a strange country where foreigners and young people gather."
"I think Usaburo is someone who, while being a businessman, enjoys helping society change, so I'm really looking forward to seeing how he'll be involved as the story progresses and Rin and Naomi go on to become nurses."
