

149 episodes of candy-making drama and you'll STILL want more. Sweetness guaranteed.
Season 1 • Episode 149
LatestThe 61st NHK Asadora Drama is Asuka. Set in Kyoto in the home of a traditional Japanese candy-maker, Asuka is the story of one young girl's dream to one day walk in her father's shoes and become a top candy-maker in the male-dominated world of wagashi (Japanese confectionery). Asuka grows to be a healthy, adventurous young girl with a deep curiosity and, a desire to become a candy-maker like her father. This NHK drama is one of the best in years with an excellent cast, a well-developed story based on extensive research into the traditional worlds of candy making and the tea ceremony in Kyoto, and beautiful scenery and settings in Kyoto and the surrounding areas.
Production
Authentic wagashi-making that'll make you hungry every episode.
Acting
Yuko Takeuchi's breakthrough—watch a legend being born.
Cinematography
Kyoto as character: every frame belongs in a museum.
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Asadora dramas are Japan's 6-month national conversation—missing one meant social death in 1999.
The wagashi techniques shown are actual 400-year-old methods; master craftspeople supervised every hand movement.