Japanese Morning Drama Series Hands Over to New Show "Blossom"
Listen to the story
Japan's popular morning drama series "Kaze, Kaoru" (Wind, Fragrance) has come to an end, and a new series called "Blossom" has begun. A special handover ceremony marked the change between the two shows.
Morning drama series, known in Japan as "asadora," are daily TV shows that air every morning. They are a well-loved tradition in Japanese television, and a new series usually starts twice a year.
At the ceremony, cast members from "Kaze, Kaoru" met with cast members from "Blossom." Actors Ai Mikami and Juri Ueda, who appeared in "Kaze, Kaoru," offered words of encouragement to actor Shizuka Ishibashi, who will star in "Blossom."
According to reports, the actors from the ending series described a mix of emotions. They spoke of a "sense of loss" from finishing their show, alongside a strong "sense of accomplishment" for completing the project.
This kind of handover is a familiar moment in Japanese TV culture. When one asadora series ends, the outgoing cast often gives support and good wishes to the incoming cast of the next series. It shows respect between the two teams and marks the passing of a well-known tradition to the next group of actors.
"Blossom" is now the newest series to take on the morning drama slot, following in the footsteps of "Kaze, Kaoru" and many other series before it.
Vocabulary8 words
- morning drama series
- a TV story shown every morning, often called asadora in Japan
- handover ceremony
- a special event when one team gives its role to another
- tradition
- something people do the same way for a long time
- encouragement
- kind words that help someone feel good or confident
- loss
- the sad feeling when something ends or is gone
- accomplishment
- a proud feeling from finishing something well
- outgoing
- leaving a job or role
- incoming
- new; about to start a job or role
Quiz
Answer key
1. "Blossom" is the new morning drama replacing "Kaze, Kaoru" 2. Ai Mikami and Juri Ueda 3. Twice a year
Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
Japan's popular morning drama series "Kaze, Kaoru" has come to an end, and a new series called "_____" has begun.
A special handover _____ marked the change between the two shows.
Morning drama series, known in Japan as "_____," are daily TV shows that air every morning.
A new series usually starts twice a _____.
At the ceremony, cast members from "Kaze, Kaoru" met with cast members from "_____."
Actors Ai Mikami and Juri Ueda offered words of _____ to actor Shizuka Ishibashi.
The actors spoke of a "sense of _____" from finishing their show.
They also felt a strong "sense of _____" for completing the project.
The outgoing cast often gives support and good wishes to the _____ cast of the next series.
Discussion questions
- Why do you think handover ceremonies between TV shows are important in Japanese culture?
- Have you ever felt both sadness and pride at the same time, like the actors described? When?
- Do you have similar long-running TV traditions in your country?
- Why might it help new actors to receive encouragement from the previous cast?