Date: From 11.00 a.m., 26 & 27 December 2015
Scriptwriter: Sakaguchi Riko
Original Work: Ito no Mori no Ie by Higashi Naoko
Cast: Nagasaku Hiromi, Watanabe Makiko, Shinagawa Toru, Suda Kunihiro, Hamada Kokone, Todaka Kanon, Kiki Kirin, Nakamura Aoi
Synopsis: Housewife Kanako (Nagasaku Hiromi) leads an unfulfilling, hurried life in Tokyo. One day, Sakiko (Watanabe Makiko), who had been a close friend, suddenly calls Kanako and insists that she come south to Itoshima in Fukuoka Prefecture for a class reunion. It has been 35 years since Kanako spent a year there during fourth grade. The place holds many memories for her. She (Hamada Kokone) transferred to Itoshima from Tokyo and immediately made friends with Sakiko (Todaka Kanon). They were always together and forgot time as they played around the forest and sea. Reliving Itoshima’s environment reminds Kanako of the sparkling feeling she experienced every day at that time. She also unexpectedly recalls the old lady Oharu-san (Kiki Kirin) who lived alone deep in the forest and seemed to be the personification of nature. Cats and children were free to come in and out of Oharu-san’s house and she had been interacting with prisoners on death row without being noticed. Kanako remembers posing all sorts of questions like what she thinks about prisoners on death row and what happens to people who die as well as the life lessons Oharu-san taught in the mysterious forest. In the middle of this peaceful time, Sakiko tells Kanako the real reason why she called her to Itoshima. This unforeseen confession leaves Kanako lost for words. In addition, she is told about Oharu-san’s sudden disappearance from the village after she transferred school. Cruel rumours about suicide had flown about but what is the truth? Kanako follows the tracks of Oharu-san who had faced life and death and tries to find their own living clues. Oharu-san’s hidden past and the message that she left to them are revealed.
Official Website: www.nhk.or.jp/fukuoka/drama/itonomori
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