Asadora

Renzoku Terebi Shōsetsu (連続テレビ小説^?, "serial TV novel") also known as Asadora (朝ドラ^?, "Morning Drama") is a serialized television series broadcast in the mornings by Japanese broadcaster NHK. The asadora started in 1961 with the black-and-white Musume to Watashi (娘と私, Musume to Watashi^?), starring Takeshi Kitazawa. Today, works in the first half of the year are produced by the NHK Tokyo Broadcasting station and works in the second half of the year are produced by the NHK Osaka Broadcasting station.

Asadora currently airs in Japan Monday through Saturday morning on NHK General TV from 8:00 to 8:15, with a rebroadcast the same day from 12:45 to 13:00. The asadora have become some of the most popular shows on Japanese television, with series such as Oshin, earning an overall 52.6-percent ratings for the series.

Virtually all of the storylines center on the life of a female heroine who faces challenges while working to achieve her dreams. The heroine is chosen by NHK through an audition that involves interviews with several thousand applicants. The winning actress not only stars in an asadora, but also becomes a spokeswoman for NHK, and is usually involved in NHK-sponsored events - including the annual Kōhaku Uta Gassen New Year's Eve event. Often, the asadora serves as a springboard for the actress to bigger and better opportunities within the Japanese entertainment industry.

The current series is Gochisōsan (2013).

Series

	Title	Debut	Ending	Notes
6	Ohanahan (おはなはん, Ohanahan?)	1966	1967	Starring Fumie Kashiyama
11	Mayuko hitori (繭子ひとり, Mayuko hitori?)	1971	1972	Starring Karin Yamaguchi. Second highest rated Asadora with an average rating of 47.4%.
12	Ai yori aoku (藍より青く, Ai yori aoku?)	1972	1973	Starring Hiroko Maki. Screenplay by Taiichi Yamada. Third highest rated Asadora at 47.3%.
15	Mizuiro no toki (水色の時, Mizuiro no toki?)	1975	1975	Starring Shinobu Otake. The first six-month Asadora. About a young woman aiming to become a doctor. Average rating of 40.1%.
31	Oshin (おしん, Oshin?)	1983	1984	Starring Ayako Kobayashi, Yūko Tanaka, and Nobuko Otowa – Oshin's perseverance pulls her through various challenges during her life. Episode on November 12, 1983 is the highest rated in Japanese television drama history, with 62.9 percent.
34	Miotsukushi (澪つくし, Miotsukushi?)	1985	1985	Starring Yasuko Sawaguchi. Average rating of 44.3%.
35	Ichiban-daiko (いちばん太鼓, Ichiban-daiko?)	1985	1986	Starring Shin'ichirō Okano. About a man who enters the world of popular theatre.
36	Hanekonma (はね駒, Hanekonma?)	1986	1986	Starring Yuki Saito. Average rating of 41.7%.
37	Miyako no kaze (都の風, Miyako no kaze?)	1986	1987	Starring Miyuki Kanō. A woman from Kyoto moves to Nara and runs a ryokan and then enters the fashion industry.
38	Chotchan (チョッちゃん, Chotchan?)	1987	1987	Starring Hiro Komura. Based on the autobiography of Tetsuko Kuroyanagi's mother.
39	Hassai Sensei (はっさい先生, Hassai Sensei?)	1987	1988	Starring Mayumi Wakamura. About a woman from Tokyo who goes to teach at an all-boys school.
40	Non-chan no yume (ノンちゃんの夢, Non-chan no yume?)	1988	1988	Starring Tomoko Fujita. About a woman who struggles to survive after World War II and starts a magazine. Average rating of 39.1%.
41	Jun-chan no ōenka (純ちゃんの応援歌, Jun-chan no ōenka?)	1988	1989	Starring Tomoko Yamaguchi in her acting debut. Average rating of 38.6%.
42	Seishun kazoku (青春家族, Seishun kazoku?)	1989	1989	Stars Misa Shimizu and Ayumi Ishida. Average rating of 37.8%.
43	Wakko no kin medaru (和っこの金メダル, Wakko no kin medaru?)	1989	1990	About a female volleyball player who helps out the local community. Starring Azusa Watanabe.
44	Rinrin to (凛凛と, Rinrin to?)	1990	1990	About a man who developed an early television system. Starring Minoru Tanaka.
45	Kyō, futari (京、ふたり, Kyō, futari?)	1990	1991	Set in an old Kyoto tsukemono store, this series depicted the conflicts between a woman, her daughter and her father-in-law.
46	Kimi no na wa (君の名は, Kimi no na wa?)	1991	1992	The first year-long series since Oshin. Starred Kyoka Suzuki, but ended up being the first Asadora with an average rating under 30%.
47	Onna wa dokyō (おんなは度胸, Onna wa dokyō?)	1992	1992	Chronicles the conflicts between a woman and her step-daughter in a hot springs town. Starring Pinko Izumi and Sachiko Sakurai.
48	Hirari (ひらり, Hirari?)	1992	1993	Starring Hikari Ishida. Screenplay by Makiko Uchidate, who is a member of the Japan Sumo Association, and is involved in sumo matters, such as advancing rikishi to the rank of Yokozuna. The storyline evolves around sumo - as the heroine become a nutritionist and works within the sumo system. Average rating of 36.9%.
49	Ee Nyobo (ええにょぼ, Ee Nyobo?)	1993	1993	A woman works hard to become a good doctor even though she is separated from her husband. Starring Naho Toda.
50	Karin (かりん, Karin?)	1993	1994	A young woman, whose family runs an old miso company in Nagano Prefecture, lives through the hardships of postwar Japan. Starring Naomi Hosokawa. Last Asadora to top 30% in ratings.
51	Piano (ぴあの, Piano?)	1994	1994	About the youngest of four sisters, all raised solely by their father, who wants to write children's books. Starring Risa Junna.
52	Haru yo, koi (春よ、来い, Haru yo, koi?)	1994	1995	A successful screenwriter looks back on her life when she learns her husband has cancer. A year-long series, starring Narumi Yasuda.
53	Hashiran ka! (走らんか!, Hashiran ka!?)	1995	1996	Set in Hakata, the series is about a young man who wants to play rock music even though his father expects him to follow him in making Hakata ningyō. One of the few Asadora starring a male character.
54	Himawari (ひまわり, Himawari?)	1996	1996	About a woman, played by Nanako Matsushima, striving to become a lawyer.
55	Futarikko (ふたりっこ, Futarikko?)	1996	1997	About a female professional shogi player and her twin sister. Starring Hiromi Iwasaki and Maiko Kikuchi, with Kana Mikura and Mana Mikura (ManaKana) playing them as children. Average rating of 29.0%
56	Aguri (あぐり, Aguri?)	1997	1997	Based on the life of the beauty stylist Aguri Yoshiyuki, who married the novelist Eisuke Yoshiyuki and became the mother of the novelist Junnosuke Yoshiyuki and the actress Kazuko Yoshiyuki. Starring Misato Tanaka and Mansai Nomura.
57	Amakarashan (甘辛しゃん, Amakarashan?)	1997	1998	About a young woman who hopes to become a sake brewer. Starring Yumiko Sato.
58	Ten Urara (天うらら, Ten Urara?)	1998	1998	About a young woman training to be a carpenter who, through her own family situation, learns about the need for a barrier-free world. Starring Risa Sudo.
59	Yanchakure (やんちゃくれ, Yanchakure?)	1998	1999	About a young woman in Osaka who helps resurrect a shipbuilding company. Starring Miho Konishi.
60	Suzuran (すずらん, Suzuran?)	1999	1999	Follows the life of a woman, raised in a coal town in Hokkaido by a father who worked on the railroad, from the 1920s to the 1930s. Starring Nagiko Tōno and Chieko Baisho.
61	Asuka (あすか, Asuka?)	1999	2000	Asuka learns to become a wagashi maker, even though wagashi is a heavily male-dominated field. Starring Yūko Takeuchi.
62	Watashi no aozora (私の青空, Watashi no aozora?)	2000	2000	About a young woman whose fiancé leaves her, pregnant, at the altar. With her son, she leaves for Tsukiji to make it on her own. Starring Tomoko Tabata.
63	Ōdorī (Audrey オードリー, Ōdorī?)	2000	2001	About a young woman involved in the Japanese film industry in Kyoto. Starring Aya Okamoto.
64	Churasan (ちゅらさん, Churasan?)	2001	2001	The first Asadora set in Okinawa. Starring Ryōko Kuninaka.
65	Honmamon (ほんまもん, Honmamon?)	2001	2002	About a young woman striving to become a chef in Wakayama Prefecture. Starring Chizuru Ikewaki.
66	Sakura (さくら, Sakura?)	2002	2002	Sakura Matsushita is a third-generation Japanese-American, living in Honolulu, Hawaii. Her dream is to become an ESL teacher in Japan, and moves there to achieve her dream.
67	Manten (まんてん, Manten?)	2002	2003	Starring Mao Miyaji. About a woman who studies to be a meteorologist.
68	Kokoro (こころ, Kokoro?)	2003	2003	Starring Noriko Nakagoshi. Set in Asakusa, Tokyo.
69	Teruteru Kazoku (てるてる家族, Teruteru Kazoku?)	2003	2004	Starring Satomi Ishihara and based on a novel by Rei Nakanishi. First Asadora to average under 20% in ratings.
70	Tenka (天花, Tenka?)	2004	2004	Starring Ema Fujisawa as a young woman from Sendai, Miyagi
71	Wakaba (わかば, Wakaba?)	2004	2005	Starring Natsuki Harada as a young woman who becomes a landscaper
72	Fight (ファイト, Fight?)	2005	2005	Yuika Motokariya stars as 15-year old Kido Yū, living with her family in Takasaki, Gunma Prefecture. Yū faces tough times, and relies on the friendship of a horse to keep her spirits up.
73	Kaze no Haruka (風のハルカ, Kaze no Haruka?)	2005	2006	Starring Eri Murakawa. Takes place in Yufuin, Ōita Prefecture. Haruka's goal is to become a travel agent, and moves to Osaka, leaving her father and sister behind, to achieve her dream.
74	Junjō Kirari (純情きらり, Junjō Kirari?)	2006	2006	Starring Aoi Miyazaki. Sakurako's dream is to become a jazz pianist. Events take place in Okazaki, Aichi Prefecture.
75	Imo Tako Nankin (芋たこなんきん, Imo Tako Nankin?)	2006	2007	Based on a true story, Naomi Fujiyama plays the heroine role of Machiko Hanaoka - a 37-year old woman who dreams of becoming a novelist. She marries into an extended family. Events take place in the city of Osaka.
76	Dondo Hare (どんど晴れ, Dondo Hare?)	2007	2007	Stars Manami Higa. Screenplay by Eriko Komatsu. Natsumi marries an heir of a high class ryokan, located in Morioka, Iwate Prefecture. She then becomes the ryokan's okami or manager.
77	Chiritotechin (ちりとてちん, Chiritotechin?)	2007	2008	Starring Shihori Kanjiya. The storyline focuses on the art of rakugo. Kiyomi's dream is to become a rakugoka, despite rakugo being a male-dominated field.
78	Hitomi (瞳, Hitomi?)	2008	2008	Starring Nana Eikura. Hitomi's dream is to become a dancer of modern music.
79	Dandan (だんだん, Dandan?)	2008	2009	Starring identical twins Mana and Kana Mikura (of Futarikko fame.) Finding each years after being separated as children, together they work at reaching their dreams as signers.
80	Tsubasa (つばさ, Tsubasa?)	2009	2009	Starring Mikako Tabe as Tsubasa who works at a local radio station, and eventually becomes a disc jockey.
81	Wel-kame (ウェルかめ, Wel-kame?)	2009	2010	About a girl from Minami-cho, Tokushima who, inspired by seeing a sea turtle when she was six, strives to become a magazine editor. Lowest rated Asadora at 13.5%.
82	Gegege no Nyobo (ゲゲゲの女房, Gegege no Nyobo?)	2010	2010	Starring Nao Matsushita. Fumie is the wife of manga artist Shigeru Mizuki. The screen play and based on her rags to riches biography.
83	Teppan (てっぱん, Teppan?)	2010	2011	Starring Miori Takimoto and Sumiko Fuji. Akari's natural mother is originally from Osaka. She moves to Osaka to live with her grandmother to learn more about her mother. She learns that her grandmother closed the okonomiyaki restaurant after Akari's teenage mother ran away. Akari then re-opens the restaurant.
84	Ohisama (おひさま, Ohisama?)	2011	2011	Starring Mao Inoue. Yoko, the heroine's name, means "child of the sun," thus the title of the series Ohisama, which also meaning sun. Yoko's dream is to become a school teacher. But, she also experiences tough times during the Pacific War.
85	Carnation (カーネーション, Carnation?)	2011	2012	Starring Machiko Ono. Based on the life of fashion designer Ayako Koshino. Her three daughters would eventually all become fashion designers.
86	Umechan Sensei (梅ちゃん先生, Umechan Sensei?)	2012	2012	Starring Maki Horikita, who plays a young woman striving to become a physician in post-World War II Tokyo.
87	Jun to Ai (純と愛, Jun to Ai?)	2012	2013	Starring Natsuna Watanabe as a young woman who wants to start her ideal hotel. Set in Osaka and Miyakojima.
88	Amachan (あまちゃん, Amachan?)	2013	2013	Starring Rena Nōnen as a young woman who becomes an ama and then an idol before returning to Tohoku to help revive the area after the earthquake.
89	Gochisōsan (ごちそうさん, Gochisōsan?)	2013	2014	Starring Anne Watanabe as a young woman trying to learn how to cook Japanese cuisine during the Taisho and Shōwa periods
90	Hanako to Anne (花子とアン, Hanako to Anne?)	2014	2014	Starring Yuriko Yoshitaka as Hanako Muraoka, the woman who first translated Anne of Green Gables into Japanese
91	Massan (マッサン, Massan?)	2014		Starring Charlotte Kate Fox as Ellie Kameyama, wife of Masaharu Kameyama, portrayed by Tetsuji Tamayama, a man who brings whisky to Japan. It is based on the life of Rita Cowen, a Scotswoman who married the Japanese man Masataka Taketsuru, the father of Japan's whisky industry. The title comes from Cowen's nickname for Taketsuru.

External links

• Official webpage