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The Best TV Shows on NHK G

Every NHK G Show Ranked From Best To Worst

Leading the pack on NHK G are Akatsuki and Uzushio, with their initial broadcasts in 1963 and 1964. With its programming history stretching from 1963 to 2016, NHK G offers an impressive lineup of over 20 shows. As of April 2025, we’ve curated over 20 of NHK G’s premier shows for your viewing pleasure.

  • Imo Tako Nankin
    Imo Tako Nankin (2006)10.0

    The series takes place in 1962 Osaka. Hanaoka Machiko, 37, is single and works at a hardware store in Osaka City while doing literary work. One day, she falls ill due to overwork and falls in love with Tokunaga Kenjiro, the doctor who examines her. Kenjiro and Machiko marry. But Kenjiro, who lost his first wife to illness, lives not just with his five children, but his brother, sister, and parents. In a comical and heart-warming way, the drama depicts Machiko's struggle with the new family while pursuing her career as a novelist.

  • March Comes In Like a Lion
    March Comes In Like a Lion (2016)8.0

    Rei is a 17-year old professional shōgi player, who lives by himself, not having a real family, and has scarcely any friends. Among his acquaintances is a family, which consists of a young woman, Akari, and two young girls, Hinata and Momo, and who also keep a numerous number of cats.

  • Kimi no na wa
    Kimi no na wa (1991)7.0

    A story of a man and a woman who meet amid the Great Tokyo Air Raid in 1945.

  • Romansu
    Romansu (1984)2.0

    The 32nd NHK Asadora. Starring Takaaki Enoki as a young man who becomes a film director. The first Asadora with a male lead since 1967.

  • Akatsuki
    Akatsuki (1963)N/A

    The 3rd NHK Asadora. Starring Shin Saburi as a professor who quits the university to become a painter.

  • Uzushio
    Uzushio (1964)N/A

    The 4th NHK Asadora. Starring Michiko Hayashi as a woman born in poverty who lives a brave life. She lost her husband in war and now must take care of their 5-year-old child alone. Adapted from the novel of the same name by Fumiko Hayashi.

  • Ohanahan
    Ohanahan (1966)N/A

    The 6th NHK Asadora. Starring Fumie Kashiyama as a woman, born in the Meiji era, who raises a family by herself.

  • Tabiji
    Tabiji (1967)N/A

    The 7th NHK Asadora. Starring Tadashi Yokouchi in a narrative about an employee of the national railroad living through 50 years of modern history with his wife.

  • Ashita Koso
    Ashita Koso (1968)N/A

    The 8th NHK Asadora. Starring Yumiko Fujita in a family drama. The first Asadora filmed in color.

  • Nobuko to Obachan
    Nobuko to Obachan (1969)N/A

    The 9th NHK Asadora. Starring Naoko Otani as a young woman living with her grandmother.

  • Niji
    Niji (1970)N/A

    Starring Yōko Minamida as a woman who supported her family during and after World War II. All episodes are missing from the NHK archives, though a brief clip does survive as part of a contemporary news segment documenting the drama's production.

  • Mayuko hitori
    Mayuko hitori (1971)N/A

    Kano is known as a "cocoon child" whose father is an agriculturist. Her mother disappeared when she was little and since then Kano has been wondering why her mother left her thus changing the shape of her life.

  • Ai yori aoku
    Ai yori aoku (1972)N/A

    The 12th NHK Asadora. Set in Amakusa, Kumamoto Prefecture, at the end of the Pacific War. Maki is the heroine, married to Shuichi who must go to war. She stays home and takes on the role of other war widows, managing business and a Chinese restaurant.

  • Kita no kazoku
    Kita no kazoku (1973)N/A

    The 13th NHK Asadora. Starring Youko Takahashi in a story about a brother and sister coming of age in Hakodate and Kanazawa.

  • Hatoko no umi
    Hatoko no umi (1974)N/A

    A woman who lost her memory after experiencing the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.

  • Mizuiro no toki
    Mizuiro no toki (1975)N/A

    The 15th NHK Asadora. Starring Shinobu Otake in a story about a young woman striving to become a doctor and her mother, who is a nurse. The first six-month Asadora. Average rating of 40.1%.

  • Ayu no uta
    Ayu no uta (1979)N/A

    The 24th NHK Asadora. Starring Senri Yamazaki as a woman who makes her life at a fishing port.

  • Wakko no kin medaru
    Wakko no kin medaru (1989)N/A

    The 43th NHK Asadora about a female volleyball player who helps out the local community. Starring Azusa Watanabe.

  • Haru yo koi
    Haru yo koi (1994)N/A

    A successful screenwriter looks back on her life when she learns her husband has cancer. A year-long series, starring Narumi Yasuda.

  • Hashiran ka!
    Hashiran ka! (1995)N/A

    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 ningyou (a traditional Japanese clay doll). One of the few Asadora starring a male character.