| The Scent of the Wind | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Drama |
| Written by | Tomoko Yoshizawa |
| Directed by | Yoshiharu Sasaki and others |
| Starring |
|
| Narrated by | Naoko Ken |
| Opening theme | "Kaze to Machi" by Mrs. Green Apple |
| Composer | Yuji Nomi |
| Country of origin | Japan |
| Original language | Japanese |
| Production | |
| Producers |
|
| Running time | 15 minutes |
| Production company | NHK |
| Original release | |
| Network | NHK General TV |
| Release | March 30, 2026 (2026-03-30) – present |
The Scent of the Wind (風、薫る, Kaze, Kaoru)[1] is a Japanese television drama series and the 114th Asadora series,[2] following The Ghost Writer's Wife. The two protagonists are modeled after Chika Ozeki and Masa Suzuki, but their names have been changed as the series was produced as a work of fiction.[2]
Plot
As Japan entered the new era of the Meiji period, the country began embracing various aspects of Western culture. One of these introductions was the concept of the "Trained Nurse." Rin Ichinose and Naomi Oya become pioneers in this field. As they grapple with the complexities of interacting with patients and doctors, the two frequently clash and struggle. However, through these challenges, they grow together—eventually evolving into the ultimate "buddy" duo.
Cast
Principal
- Ai Mikami as Rin Ichinose
- Juri Kosaka as Naomi Oya
Ichinose family
- Kazuki Kitamura as Shin'emon Ichinose, Rin's father
- Miki Mizuno as Mitsu Ichinose, Rin's mother
- Miu Hayasaka as Yasu Ichinose, Rin's sister
- Shuhei Uesugi as Shuichi Makimura, Yasu's husband
- Takashi Kobayashi as Yoshimasa Nakamura
The people of Tochigi
- Toranosuke Kobayashi as Kotaro Takeuchi
- Shiro Tsubuyaki as Nobuyuki Takeuchi, Kotaro's father
- Akiko Iwase as Sakae Takeuchi, Kotaro's mother
- Takahiro Miura as Kamekichi Okuda, Rin's husband
- Ema as Tamaki (7 years old), Rin and Kamekichi's daughter
- Ruka Miyajima as Tamaki (3 years old)
- Toshie Negishi as Sada Okuda, Kamekichi's mother
- Miyuki Oshima as the proprietress of an eel restaurant
- Yumi Yoshitatsu as the proprietress of a Japanese confectionery shop
- Takuya (The Touch) as Shibata-ya
- Kazuya (The Touch) as Matsunaga-ya
- Taizo Harada as Zensaku Yoshie
- Anya Floris as Mary
The people of Tokyo
- Masaya Sano (Ae! Group) as Kenjiro Shimada
- Kisetsu Fujiwara as Eisuke Kohinata
- Yuta Hayashi as Taichi Makimura
- Bando Yajuro as Usaburo Shimizu
- Chika Uchida as Fumi Yanagawa
- Fumiya Ogura as Kisuke Matsubara
- Mikako Tabe as Sutematsu Ōyama
- Masahiro Takashima as Iwao Ōyama
- Tsurutaro Kataoka as Kaishū Katsu
- Yoneko Matsukane as Toyo Oya
- Yuriko Hirooka as Kiku Oya
- Shiho Harumi as Kahei Oya
- Hirono Nita as Fusa Matsuyama
- Seina Nakata as Shima Kawai
- Himawari Inoue as Saho Kimura
- Rei Maruyama as Matsu Nakayama
- Naoko Ken as Maji, a fortune teller
Umeoka Nursing School
- Erika Ikuta as Tae Tamada
- Akiko Kikuchi as Kiyo Izumi
- Tomo Nakai as Yuki Shinonome
- Aki Kigoshi as Shinobu Yanagita
- Rin Harashima as Tome Kudo
- Hyunri as Ei Matsui
- Shima Ise as Toshiko Kajiwara
- Emma Howard as Barnes
Teito University Medical Hospital
- Yūta Furukawa as Masuo Imai
- Ryotaro Sakaguchi as Kunio Fujita
- Kinari Hirano as Katsuji Kurokawa
- Kanro Watanabe as Yukinari Watanabe
- Tsubaki Nekoze as Fuyu Nagata
- Jiro (Sissonne) as Kosuke Nagata
- Kazuki Iio as Mansaku Shibata
- Jiei Wakabayashi as Chuzo Maruyama
- Honoka Murakami as Yunagi
- Ayaka Higashino as Tsuya Miura
- Yoshihiro Nozoe as Yaichiro Sonobe
- Michitaka Tsutsui as Jutaro Tada
- Yuta Kanai as Kosaku Sakata
- Yukie Nakama as Chikako Izumi
- Ayumi Tanida as Motohiko Izumi
- Akana Ikeda as Hide Doi
- Ririka Kawashima as Tama Adachi
Others
- Tomoya Nakamura as Toji Yagyu
- Yuki Inoue as Kosuke Yokosawa
- Shouma Kai as Goro Ogawa
Production
On January 24, 2025, NHK announced the production of its 114th Asadora, titled The Scent of the Wind. During the announcement, it was revealed that Ai Mikami would star as one of the two lead heroines. NHK also noted that the second heroine would be selected through an open audition process.[3]
On June 3 of the same year, NHK held a follow-up press conference to announce that Juri Kosaka had been cast for the role, having been selected from a pool of 2,410 audition participants.[4]
TV schedule
| Week | Episodes | Title | Directed by | Original airdate | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1–5 | "Tsubasa to Katana" (翼と刀) | Yoshiharu Sasaki | March 30–April 3, 2026 | 14.3% |
| 2 | 6–10 | "Tomoshibi no Michi" (灯の道) | Shinzo Nitta | April 6–10, 2026 | 13.6% |
| 3 | 11–15 | "Haru-ichiban no Kizashi" (春一番のきざし) | Hitoshi Matsumoto | April 13–17, 2026 | 13.8% |
| 4 | 16–20 | "Watashi-tachi no Society" (私たちのソサイエティ) | Yoshiharu Sasaki | April 20–24, 2026 | 14.1% |
| 5 | 21–25 | "Tsudoishi Mono-tachi" (集いし者たち) | Mayo Hashimoto | April 27–May 1, 2026 | 13.9% |
| 6 | 26–30 | "Tenkyu no Kyoshitsu" (天泣の教室) | Shinzo Nitta | May 4–8, 2026 | 13.1% |
| 7 | 31–35 | "Todokanu Koe" (届かぬ声) | Hitoshi Matsumoto | May 11–15, 2026 | 13.9% |
| 8 | 36–40 | "Yubae" (夕映え) | Yoshiharu Sasaki | May 18–22, 2026 | 14.7% |
| 9 | 41–45 | "Kanbyofu to Ame" (看病婦とアメ) | Mayo Hashimoto | May 25–29, 2026 | 14.1% |
| 10 | 45–50 | "Shippu ni Keiso o" (疾風に勁草を) | Shinzo Nitta | June 1–5, 2026 | 14.8% |
| 11 | 51–55 | "Nagi ni Soyogu" (凪にそよぐ) | Yoshiharu Sasaki | June 8–12, 2026 | 13.7% |
| 12 | 56–60 | "Tabidachi" (旅立ち) | June 15–19, 2026 | 14.0% | |
| 13 | 61–65 | "Hakujitsu no Yume" (白日の夢) | Mayo Hashimoto | June 22–26, 2026 | 13.5% |
| 14 | 66–70 | "Uso to Makoto" (ウソと誠) | Hitoshi Matsumoto | June 29–July 3, 2026 |
References
- "The Scent of the Wind". NHK Enterprises. Retrieved 30 March 2026.
- "解説:スタートまで1カ月 朝ドラ「ばけばけ」の次は「風、薫る」 2人の女性主人公はやがて"最強バディー"に! 見どころは?". Mantan-web (in Japanese). 1 March 2026. Retrieved 30 March 2026.
- "見上愛、朝ドラヒロインはオファー 制作統括が理由明かす 会見でも"フランクでチャーミング"な人柄光る". Oricon (in Japanese). 24 January 2025. Retrieved 30 March 2026.
- "連続テレビ小説「風、薫る」ヒロイン2人目は上坂樹里、2410人から決定 見上愛と主演". Natalie (in Japanese). 3 June 2025. Retrieved 30 March 2026.