Yoshikazu Okada

Twenty-year-old Matsuri Takabayashi learns that she only has ten years to live due to an incurable disease. She decides to not dwell on her life and not to fall in love—until she meets a man named Kazuto Manabe at a school reunion.

After failing to land a job, Shimizu Misora stumbles into an internship at funeral company Bando Kaikan and trains under the strict but compassionate Urushibara Reiji. As she learns to care for the bereaved, her discouragement turns into admiration, and a new sense of purpose.

Takumi and his six-year-old son, Yuji, haven't come to terms with their wife and mother's death. One day, they meet a woman with an uncanny resemblance to her sheltering from the rain near their home.

Being sick since childhood, Moe has spent most of her life at home, without school or friends. After being given just six months to live, she decides to spend her final days differently—by attending high school. On the very first day, she boldly confesses her feelings to her classmate Hinata. The two start dating and experience their first love. Then, on Moe’s birthday, they plan to watch the “Strawberry Moon” together – a full moon said to bind lovers forever. But after that night, she disappears without a word…

Hisashi and Mai are a happy couple in their 20s who are engaged to be married. But three months before their wedding, Mai becomes seriously ill. Her heart stops momentarily, and she falls into a deep coma. Hisashi visits Mai at the hospital every day before work. With no idea if or when she will ever awake, Mai’s parents encourage Hisashi to find someone else, but he refuses to give up and continues to pray for her recovery. As if his prayers are answered, Mai begins to regain consciousness several years later, and even utters a few words. But tragically, she has suffered brain damage and has no memory of Hisashi.

An introverted bookstore employee and a widow living in isolation develop a cross-generational friendship through their shared love of BL manga.

Terajima Mikako became a boys volleyball team coach at a junior high school she has been assigned to. As an incentive for the team members who do not show the slightest enthusiasm, she promises to show them her boobs if they win a game.

Saho Takahashi, capable but a disillusioned nurse, has lost all motivation for her job working at Sumidaku Sakuraoka General Hospital. She seeks solace in the company of her bed-ridden patient, former Honorary Head Nurse, Sae Yukino. As she opens up about her despair, a sudden earthquake sends Saho into the depths of a strange, unfamiliar jungle.

"Hankyu Densha" follows the lives of various people who commute on Hankyu Railway's Imazu Line - connecting the cities of Nishinomiya and Takarazuka in Hyogo prefecture. One of the commuters is Shoko (Miki Nakatani), an office worker in her 30s who lost her boyfriend to a younger colleague. There's also a college student (Erika Toda) who is so easily persuaded by her no good boyfriend. Other commuters include a grandmother & granddaughter, a house wife, a female high school student, and a female otaku college student. Although the train ride takes only 15 minutes between two stations, the lives of these commuters are changed as they interact with each other...

Based on the comic of the same name that ran in Manga Pachinkā.

A postman learns that he doesn't have much time left to live due to a terminal illness. A devil then appears in front of him and offers to extend his life if he picks something in the world that will disappear. The man thinks about his relationships with ex-friends, ex-lovers, relatives and colleagues who will be sincerely sad when he dies.

Ryosuke lives in a small house in Toshima, Tokyo. Since his wife died, he has adjusted to living alone. He used to teach at a university and he now works as a translator. Meanwhile, Ryosuke has one child, Yuriko. She is married to Shigeyuki, who works as a teacher. Yuriko and Shigeyuki live in Azumino, Nagano Prefecture. One day, Yuriko visits her father Ryosuke without advance notice. Ryosuke is surprised by her sudden visit. Yuriko doesn't give any reason for the visit. Ryosuke only learns that Yuriko isn't sure how long she will stay. They haven't talked as father and daughter in a long time. They begin to live together in a nervous, but warm atmosphere.

A terminally ill girl, who dreams of going to Finland to see the northern lights, falls in love

Three bank robbers, who declare themselves to be Space Travelers, take six persons as hostages when they are surrounded by the police. Among the hostages, there is a terrorist with a hidden bomb. In order to escape, the robbers ask the hostages to pretend to be part of the gang. Surprisingly, the hostages soon enjoy doing so. On that strange day, the bank becomes a tropical paradise...

Story of friendship between an old man who slept for 45 years and his nurse who woke him up. (Source: D-Addicts)

Kota runs into his old friend Chika on the anniversary of their friend's death. They plan to meet again in a year, but their feelings are complicated.

Despite losing her parents at age three in a car accident, Toko experiences an idyllic childhood thanks to her uncle, who raises her. She dreams of being an actress and, having had some local notoriety in her town, she is ready to take a leap of faith and travel to Tokyo to audition. But, as fate would have it, her hopes are dashed as her world and her country are turned upside down when Japan is struck by the Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11, 2011. This motivates Toko to assist with aid efforts in Kesennuma where she meets volunteer organizer Kiyotaka. While she initially senses something about Kiyotaka is amiss in the midst of their devastated surroundings, feelings of hope grow as do their feelings for one another.

Seven men and women, consisting of three couples who are reluctant companions and one single man, play in the game with the secret that their relationship and friendship will collapse. Japanese remake of the Italian movie "Perfetti sconosciuti".

In this direct continuation of the earlier special, Godai tries to figure out what to do with his life after college while competing with Kyoko's impossibly perfect tennis coach for her affection.

In 1997, a female detective from Hong Kong passed an exam for a man who dreamed of becoming a senior detective, which produced a series of stories.

A woman released from prison, gets on a ship without any plans to find an island called ‘Paradise’ that was advertised on a flyer she got in the train. She meets a male teacher on the ship who helps her to get a job at a school cafeteria on the island. One day, she rescues a student who happened to be making the same mistake the woman made which eventually landed her in prison. Despite the rescue, the girl eventually catches on fire.

Looking for something to do during the summer, Akihiko Suzuki teams up with four girls (Namie, Natsumi, Mishiyo, and Komugi) and a guy (Kosuke) to start a little cafe down by the beach. Actually, he is more interested in the girls than the job. They used to ignore him, but by working at the cafe, he hopes to start a friendship with them.

Sakurai Hiromi (Sorimachi Takashi) and Suzuki Kaito (Takenouchi Yutaka) leave Diamond Head behind in search of "my ocean." Three months later, the two coincidentally find themselves staying on the same southern island overseas. Hiromi is in charge of the poolside bar at a large hotel, dating the heiress there, and living a glamorous life. Kaito works for a marine biologist, transporting dolphins to a landlocked country, living a wild life. When Kaito's work takes him to the island as well, they run into each other by chance. The two feel something is off about who they are now. Where is their "true ocean"? Makoto and Haruko now run the B&B back in Japan. One day, they win a trip to the island which will make the reunion complete.

One day, Shimoda of the Minato Shinkai gang, appears before Jin. He begs him to buy out his childhood friend, who works at a soapland, on his behalf. Although Jin refuses on the spot, Shimoda's unnatural behavior bothers Jin. Just then, a shooting happens involving the boss of the Hongo-gumi, which is in conflict with the Minato Shinkai. The gruesome image of the gunman, Shimoda, who was shot dead, is shown on television, along with an outline of the incident. However, behind this seemingly simple incident, an unexpected truth is hidden...

The 17-year-old Yatabe Mineko grew up in a family of seven in a mountain village in northeastern Ibaraki Prefecture. Her father Minoru has gone to Tokyo to work in order to earn extra money. However, her life completely changes when her father does not come back for the New Year. Mineko asks her family to let her go to Tokyo to find him and promises to send money home. In the autumn of 1964, she and two childhood friends Tokiko and Mitsuo are hired to start working at a small factory in Tokyo’s working class neighborhood. After work each day, Mineko searches for her father and gets disheartened at times. Mineko overcomes challenges and starts to lay down roots in Tokyo as she experiences many meetings and farewells amid the laughter and tears with regulars, people of the shopping street, friends, and colleagues. But will she be able to find her father?

The 64th NHK Asadora Renzoku Drama is Churasan, a story of a young woman, Kohagura Eri, who was born in Kohamajima Island, Okinawa on May 15, 1972, the day when Okinawa was returned to Japan from the U.S. Eleven years later, Kamimura Shizuko and her two sons, Kazuya and Fumiya, from Tokyo come to stay as the guests of a small inn run by Eri’s family. Eri’s fun-loving, yet eccentric family welcomes them warmly. However, Eri is shocked to hear one of the sons, Kazuya is terminally ill and Shizuko and her sons came to Okinawa to spend his last moment together in beautiful nature. Fumiya, Kazuya’s younger brother, and Eri promise to marry each other someday. However after Kazuya’s death, Fumiya and his mother leave the island to go back to Tokyo. Years later, they are reunited, Eri as a nurse and Fumiya, a doctor, working at the same hospital in Tokyo.

After losing her fiancé in an accident, Saeko feels an inexplicable connection to a stranger — who, by a twist of fate, received his heart and memories.

Hiromi and Kaito end up in a guesthouse run by an ageing surfer and his granddaughter Makoto. The summer passes amidst the comings and goings of guests, each one gradually discovering the others.

A brilliant chocolatier who's afraid of making eye contact meets an heir who can't touch others — but somehow, they're immune to each other.

A 10-part omnibus drama by 10 different scriptwriters on the theme of fathers and their sons and daughters.

Chiaki Yoshino is a TV producer. She is 45-years-old and single. Chiaki Yoshino worries about her health and her later years rather than dating. She hopes to buy an old house and live there with a friend when she gets older. Chiaki then goes to Kamakura, Japan to look for a house. There, she meets a 50-year-old single man Wahei Nagakura. Wahei's first wife died and he has one child. Their love story begins ...

Ohisama is a Japanese television drama that aired on NHK in 2011 in the Asadora time slot. Set in Nagano prefecture, "Ohisama" covers the life of Yoko Sudo (Mao Inoue) through World War II. Yoko Sudo with her smile is able to bring brightness to those around her & she follows her mother's motif to laugh through the hard times. During the onset of WW II, Yoko is a high school student and "Ohisama" follows her as she eventually becomes a teacher and then gets married and has a child. Yoko then opens a soba restaurant with her student. --asianwiki

Yuko (Kanako Enomoto), always dressed in flashy, trend-setting fashion, looks carefree and bold at first glance. But in reality, she has very few female friends. She especially can’t stand Setsuko (Sayaka Yamaguchi), a classmate at the same junior college, whose similar “fashion-forward” style feels like competition. However, after the two unexpectedly run into each other at a convenience store—both bare-faced and wearing track suits—they begin to open up, wondering they’re more alike than they thought. One day, they win a Saipan trip in a lottery and set off full of excitement… but things don’t quite go as planned. Based on a manga called "Ikeike! Baka Onna!" by Suzuki Yumiko.

In the first coproduction of a TV drama between Japan and South Korea, a Japanese tourist and a South Korean film student become good friends after a chance meeting in Hong Kong.

This drama is an adaptation of the manga by Junko Karube about a deaf woman and her struggles with love, family and everyday life.

This story is about four men who work in a confectionary. Tachibana Keiichiro (Shiina Kippei) is the owner; Ono Yusuke (Fujiki Naohito) is the superb baker that has a mysterious and mesmerizing aura; Kobayakawa Chikage (Abe Hiroshi) is the waiter and close bodyguard of Tachibana; and last but not least is Kanda Eiji (Takizawa Hideaki), the ex-boxer who loves cake so much that he becomes a waiter at 'Antique'. This is a refreshing, yet heartfelt comedy about the 4 very unique personalities that work until the wee hours of the night at the small confectionary. The series follows the romance, family life, and most importantly friendship that these 4 men from different generations experience. This is a confectionary with a "flavor" not like most. Located in the middle of an ordinary residential area, "Antique" stays open until 2 a.m. Every single thing in the shop is antique, in fact even the sherry glasses that water comes in look like they would cost 50,000 yen. On top of this, all the sweets that are sold are unbelievably delicious. The thing that is most peculiar about "Antique" though is that all 4 of the men that work here are very handsome, and each has an interesting past. Those that frequent the store also have a story to tell. Edited Excerpt from JDorama.com

18-year-old Urano Suzu marries Hojo Shusaku and moves from Eba City to Kure City in Hiroshima Prefecture in the middle of the Pacific War. As Japan slides into a war it cannot get out of, the townspeople go on with their “ordinary” lives. Supplies are short, and family and friends get sent to the battlefield. Suzu and the Hojo family battle such anxieties as they try to live positively.

University student Sawano Natsumi lives in Shonan, Kanagawa Prefecture. An encounter in Hawaii makes her decide to bring the popular pancake restaurant Eggs n’ Things to Japan, which sparks a pancake boom in the country. Despite suffering difficulties and setbacks, Natsumi fulfils her dream, motivated by thoughts of her father as well as the support of family and friends.

Bambino! is a Japanese cooking manga written and illustrated by Tetsuji Sekiya. The manga has been serialized in Shogakukan's seinen magazine Big Comic Spirits. As of February 2009, Shogakukan has published 14 bound volumes of the manga. It received the 2008 Shogakukan Manga Award for seinen/general manga along with Takeshi Natsuhara's and Kuromaru's Kurosagi. NTV broadcast the live-action TV drama from April 18, 2007 to June 27, 2007. It was broadcast in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico by TV Japan, an affiliate of NHK, from January to March 2008.

Kureno Masora is a young doctor who was working happily at a large hospital in Tokyo. However, she found out that she has an illness and decided to continue working as a doctor, while hiding her illness at a clinic located in a small village called "Niji no Mura". Therefore, Masora gets to meet the interesting villagers and gradually learns about facing life enthusiastically.

27 year old Adachi Momoko lost both her parents in an accident when she was in third year high school. She then gave up going to college and has been working at a home centre for the past nine years while supporting her three younger brothers who are now 20, 17, and 14 year old respectively.

Old apartment complexes, rented houses in the suburbs, and cabs running through the cities. These scenes may look ordinary but each has a different story to tell. A daughter who works part-time to support her disabled mother; a woman who has been cut off from her family and continues to work as a cab driver; a granddaughter who lives in a rented house and works at a factory with her grandmother. This is the story of three women, who live far apart from each other and do not know each other's existence until a fateful encounter through a radio program.

Echizen, who is a modest woman, works at a fish cake plant. Instead of keeping a diary, she draws cartoons of "Nakuna, Harachan" on her notebook about her daily life. The main character in her comic, Hara then appears in the real world.

After parting with her six childhood friends for several years, Takumi decides to return back to her hometown to reunite with them. However, her six friends worry about her comeback as she's a real trouble-maker and has made their lives very miserable in the past. Slowly, they come to realise that they are wrong about Takumi, and just then she disappears before them once again, leaving behind the sweet memories they have together at the age of seventeen.

The story of two twins who try to cut themselves off as much as possible throughout their lives. A giggle of fate, however, causes both of them to become teachers, at the same school. Soon it turns out that their approach to the same issues is very different and introduces considerable chaos to students' lives and the entire facility.

Kisara Hanae, a girl who retired from karate due to an accidental injury and was at the lowest point of her life. She meets Ashida Haruki, the songwriter of a song she used to listen to before every match. But he is now a failed musician, a one-hit wonder, and a weirdo with a lot of problems! Hanae's childhood friend, Natsukawa Shingo, who is always watching over her gets involved and a love triangle develops. Hanae has a "secret" that she can't tell anyone, and decides that "this is the last love of her life".