Season 1 • Episode 156
LatestOhisama 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
Acting
Mao Inoue's smile physically hurts to watch by episode 50.
Writing
156 episodes, zero filler—every soba bowl earns its tears.
Production
Nagano locations so gorgeous you'll Google 'rural Japan real estate' at 2am.
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Asadora dramas air every morning for decades; Ohisama revived post-3/11 Japan as collective national healing. NHK reported record viewer letters from elderly viewers thanking Yoko for 'giving us morning again.'
The soba restaurant set became an actual Nagano tourist attraction; Mao Inoue trained for three months with a master soba chef and reportedly cried when she finally made acceptable noodles on camera.
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