30+ Japanese Dramas to Warm Up Winter 2026!

Wakisaka Tatsumi (Hosoda Kanata) is a university student who is framed for a murder and a robbery he didn’t commit. While running away from the police, he works with the very few clues he has to find a mysterious snowboarder who could prove his innocence.

The 119 Emergency Call team is back! When the Yokohama City Fire Department proposes an “AI controller,” our dispatchers see themselves in the middle of a conflict over whether their jobs can indeed be replaced by machines. Their lives then become even more chaotic as the New Year’s Eve arrives with a large-scale blackout that brings Yokohama to a halt.

The 65th NHK Taiga drama will portray the lives of the Toyotomi brothers: Koichiro, who will eventually become Toyotomi Hidenaga, and his half-brother Kinoshita, who will eventually become Toyotomi Hideyoshi — also known as the second “Great Unifier” of Japan and one of the most powerful warlords of the Sengoku period.

Koichiro (Nakano Taiga) is a poor farmer who hasn’t seen his half-brother, Kinoshita (Ikematsu Sosuke), in many years. He is then taken by surprise when Kinoshita shows up with big plans to serve a young but promising warlord, Oda Nobunaga. He asks Koichiro to become his servant and support him on this journey. Koichiro decides to accept, leaving his life and family behind to become a samurai.

The official TBS synopsis reads:

Snarky 1980s PE teacher, Ichiro Ogawa, is back – crashing through the wall of Café Scandal! This time, he’s brought along the café “master” and 83-year-old inventor, Inoue, embarking on a new, time warping adventure. After sending Kiyoshi into the past to prevent Yuzuru’s fated encounter with daughter, Junko, Ichiro travels to the night of the Great Hanshin Earthquake (1995) and greets a surprise visitor, while learning of an incident coming in 2036. What crazily “inappropriate” steps will Ichiro take to stave off disaster across the infinite expanse of space and time?

We reviewed TBS’s original Extremely Inappropriate! last year. You can read our review here.

This third season brings us back to the prestigious Kuraya Harunobu, a traditional Kyoto wagashi shop with 240 years of history. Returning from an eight-year adventure in Paris, Sawafuji Miyako (Tokiwa Takako) arrives at Kuraya Harunobu with the young Mikami Miyako (Hoshi Moeka). Will Miyako get used to the centuries-old traditions and customs that govern the lives of Kyotoites?

Reminder: You don’t have to have watched the previous seasons in order to keep up with this one!

Chimoto Karina (Kita Kana) hasn’t had much luck lately. First, she had to dance in front of an audience for the first time in many years after the ballerina who had been hired failed to show up to the event she was organising. Then, her best friend, Futagi Yumi (Amano Hana), declared that their friendship was over. Yumi and Karina have known each other since they were six, when both attended ballet classes together. While Karina got a job at an advertising agency, Yumi became a professional ballerina.

Heartbroken, Karina wanders into a ramen shop, where she’s shocked to find Yumi working part-time. She becomes even more curious to understand what is really going on with Yumi. Karina then decides to sign up for a ballet course at the school where Yumi teaches and becomes a regular at the ramen shop. She’s determined to get to the bottom of it all — will their friendship survive the storm?

Takasugi Toru (Tanaka Koki) is a reckless young man who is constantly picking fights. Besides his irresponsible behaviour, he’s also infamous for his awful test scores. That is why his mother hires Kishi Naito (Sawamura Rei) as his private tutor. Kishi’s gentleness soon enchants Toru, whose life starts to change thanks to their lessons together.

Adapted from Okujima Hiromasa’s web manga of the same name.

After her husband’s disappearance, Asahi Seiko (Matsushita Nao) finds herself running their family’s oden shop and caring for her two children and mother-in-law on her own. She soon receives news that her husband passed away in an accident, and when the police ask her to confirm that the body and his belongings are really her husband’s, she’s absolutely certain that they are. One year after his death, her husband shows up in her life once again, very much alive.

Judge Ando Kiyoharu (Matsuyama Kenichi) has recently been transferred from Tokyo to the Maebashi District Court’s First Branch. His gentle attitude often contrasts with the traits and impulses he has due to his ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) and ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). Since his colleagues don’t know that he’s neurodivergent, they find his behaviour a tad odd. However, when they are faced with a series of complex cases, Ando is the one able to pinpoint contradictions that might help them bring the right people to justice.

Adapted from Naoshima Sho’s novel of the same name.

Since he was a young medical resident, Tsukasa (Ito Kentaro) had been financially supported by his dedicated wife, Chiharu (Uchida Rio). Once in their 30s, Chiharu yearns for a child, but they struggle to conceive. Her life turns upside down when she finds out that one of Tsukasa’s former patients, the wealthy Emiru (Nakamura Yurika), is pregnant with his child. Tsukasa leaves Chiharu, who feels that no alimony could ever compensate for the feelings of betrayal and emptiness that devastate her soul. She then sets her mind on getting her revenge.

Adapted from Yamada Mei’s web manga series of the same name.

Shirase Koharu (Toyoshima Hana) is a young woman who helps her father care for her two little brothers and run the onigiri shop that belonged to her late mother. Her already hectic life becomes even crazier when one of the shop’s patrons, the kind and charming novelist Kurosaki Ayato (Yamanaka Jyutaro), asks her to marry him. Despite his unconventional proposal, Koharu finds herself falling in love with him.

Adapted from Okada Piko’s web manga series of the same name.

After three years working at a game company, Kusamichi Sota (Nakazawa Motoki) quits and becomes a “NEET”. He lives with his parents, who own a famous bakery, and spends his days playing video games and hoping his life never changes. His joy doesn’t last long, however: he finds himself looking for a job when his parents decide to close the bakery to travel around Japan. Job hunting is anything but easy, but he soon comes across a curious opportunity in the field of “smart agriculture”.

Meanwhile, Sawaki Yumemi (Ishikawa Ren) is a hard-working young woman working at an important PR company. When she makes a major mistake at work and is forced to take a leave of absence, she asks a colleague for help. When her colleague introduces her to her family’s farm, fate brings these two very different personalities together.

Nagare (Kikuchi Fuma) has always struggled to fit in and keep a job. He sees himself as a complete failure, so imagine his surprise when he’s summoned by the Ministry of Defence alongside six other individuals, none of them particularly remarkable or successful. They are told that they have unconventional abilities that could save planet Earth.

Housewife Matsumoto Naho (Miyamoto Mayu) has been married to Shogo (Izuka Kenta) for about two years. At first, she believed that they had a happy marriage until a friend made her realise that they had been in a sexless relationship for a long time. She then starts making an effort to make Shogo interested without success.

Their lives become a lot messier when Shogo’s colleague asks him to become her “friend with benefits,” and Naho reunites with a kind and gentle ex-boyfriend, who is keen to offer her emotional support.

Yoneda Seiko (Matsushima Nanako) is a highly skilled investigator who establishes the “Zakkoku”, that is, the Complex Tax Case Processing Office. The Zakkoku is a department within the Materials Investigation Division of the Tokyo National Tax Agency, created to tackle the country’s most complex cases of tax evasion.

Once a competent detective for the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department’s First Investigation Division, Amano Ren (Tamaki Hiroshi) is now a highly skilled, creative insurance investigator for the Miyama Research. He’s quick to notice when people are lying, has an exceptional eye for detail, and is willing to use any means necessary to uncover the truth. Alongside his colleagues, Ren enjoys applying his unorthodox methods to find the truth behind the cases he’s assigned.

Oizumi Mashiro (Momotsuki Nashiko) has always dreamt of working in publishing. She then finds a job with France Publishing, but is shocked when she’s assigned to the “Sensual Fiction Editorial Department.” There, she meets Editor-in-Chief Tamagawa Joji (Tokui Yoshimi), a whole editorial team, and a bunch of eccentric authors who teach her the joys and challenges of being a sensual fiction editor.

Adapted from Satou Yuuki’s manga series of the same name.

Aizawa Haru (Ishii Anna) falls head over heels in love with Ouji Kazuhiro (Ueda Tatsuya), a member of the popular band Suffragette City, after reading a magazine article. Her passion is so great that she quits her stable job to become a freelance writer, determined to meet him. A series of fortunate events leads her to him and, to her surprise, he proposes to her. She’s ecstatic, but she’s a bit surprised when Kazuhiro tells her that, even after their wedding, he doesn’t want to “do anything physical” with her.

Her newlywed yet sex-zero life isn’t exactly what she expected, so she shares her concerns with her two best friends, the married stylist Matsuoka Fuyumi (Satsukawa Aimi) and the career woman Kiriyama Akina (Yamaya Kasumi) — and Haru soon realises that she isn’t the only one with haunting worries.

Adapted from Satoru Hiura’s manga series of the same name.

Shiraishi Sumi (Riko) is a young woman from a shrine maiden clan living in an alternative Tokyo. The year might be 2026, but the atmosphere is still that of the Edo period, and people are afflicted by a disease called “youka”, in which inner ugliness can manifest itself as physical transformation. Sumi’s clan are responsible for maintaining national order, and she’s currently an apprentice under her mother, honing her supernatural ability to transform prayers into blades. Sumi isn’t doing as well as expected, probably due to her gentle and kind nature. Things get even more complicated when she falls in love with transfer student Kuon Masataka (Fujiwara Itsuki), from an enemy ninja clan.

The production team has disclosed that Tokyo Miko Ninja will be making full use of generative AI technology.

Ishiguro Yamato (Sugou Araki) has never cared much about his appearance. After he passes a publishing house’s recruitment exam, he hopes to become an editor for a sports magazine. But luck doesn’t seem to be on his side: the sports magazine is discontinued, and he’s assigned to the fashion magazine instead.

Oonuma Mihono (Higuchi Hina) is a 30-year-old woman who has just broken up with her long-time boyfriend. She’s then surprised to see Ureshino Eisei (Ikeda Masashi) transfer into the travel agency where she works. Eisei and Mihono had an affair 10 years ago, but never saw each other again. Now reunited, Mihono decides to interact with him normally, but her plans go astray when Eisei starts flirting with her, just like he did a decade ago.

Adapted from Mizutani Ai’s manga of the same name.

Washio Takeru (Katsuji Ryo) and Miu (Takimoto Miori) have an 8-year-old daughter whom they love dearly. When their daughter is abducted, the kidnappers don’t ask for ransom. They contact the couple and say that, if they want to see their kid alive again, they need to kidnap someone else’s child. Will Takeru and Miu go from victims to perpetrators to save their daughter’s life?

Kinoshita Ninako (Fukumoto Riko) is a sweet, gentle high schooler who has never been in love. She often takes the train back home with her classmate, Ichinose Ren (Takahashi Kyohei). Ren is fairly popular, but what really grabs Ninako’s attention is how kind he is to the people around him. After a while, Ninako realises that Ren has become her first love and decides to be honest about her feelings.

Adapted from Sakisaka Io’s manga series of the same name. The story was divided into two seasons, with the first coming out in October 2025. A similar project was WOWOW’s Ao Haru Ride (2023-2024), also an adaptation of Sakisaka’s work.

Strobe Edge is coming to Viki on January 9th!

Ichinose Yosuke (Matsuda Ryuhei) is a “detective-inventor” who lives in the hot-spring town of Nishigaya Onsen. He solves all sorts of bizarre cases using unconventional methods in a story of heartwarming mysteries.

Tsuzuki Ryo (Hasegawa Makoto) is a skilled surgeon whose beloved wife is kidnapped. That same day, an unidentified patient shows up at his hospital, hurt so badly his facial features aren’t even recognisable. The kidnappers then demand that he kill the patient in exchange for his wife’s life. Torn between two impossible choices, Tsuzuki doesn’t know what to do. Things get even worse when rumours start spreading around the hospital that Tsuzuki’s faceless patient is actually a vicious murderer on the run.

Akagi Yuka (Kato Rosa) is a beautiful and romantically experienced woman in her late thirties. She then decides to start marriage hunting and join matchmaking events. What she thought was just a casual pursuit turns into a proper “battlefield” where one’s ideals and reality violently collide.

Adapted from Inokuma Kotori’s manga of the same name.

When romance novelist Mizuhara Rio (Tsuji Karin) is criticised for her intimate scenes’ lack of realism, she struggles to find a solution since she indeed has no experience with men. That’s when she meets the handsome banker Fujishima Ayato (Furuya Robin) and has an idea: she asks him if he can teach her about his own sex life.

Adapted from Awaji Nae’s manga of the same name.

“Team Zero” is a legal organisation that helps victims of false convictions. One of their members is Fujishima Shota (Nakajima Yuto), a dedicated lawyer who, one day, receives a letter from Miyahara Nobuo (Gozu Takeo). Twenty-five years ago, Miyahara was sentenced to death for the murder of an entire family — a crime he claims to have never committed. As the members of Team Zero get together to investigate the case, they begin to find more than just a few inconsistencies that support Miyahara’s claim of innocence. They then find themselves in a battle against time, pride, and corruption as they fight to request a retrial.

Adapted from Daimon Takeaki’s novel of the same name.

Two odd, clumsy men (played by Nakajima Ayumu and Kusakawa Takuya) run a retro-style barbershop in the middle of nowhere. But as their clients arrive with all sorts of problems, these eccentric barbers not only cut their hair, but tidy up their messy lives, giving them a fresh start.

Shibata Ichiha (Kamishiraishi Moka) has always dreamt of becoming a fashion magazine editor. After finally getting a job at a famous publishing company, she thought that her dream was about to come true — until she was informed that the company’s fashion magazine had been discontinued. Assigned to a lifestyle magazine instead, Ichiha just couldn’t find the will to keep doing her job until she met the charismatic model Haizawa Aria (Shishido Kavka). Her manager informs her that Aria will be launching a romance-advice column and that Ichiha will be her ghostwriter. As part of the project, she decides to interview a “specialist”: Associate Professor Shido Tsukasa (Ikuta Toma), a human-averse researcher who studies human romance and animal courtship behaviour. To her utmost surprise, Ichiha and Tsukasa find out that we might find the answers to our modern dilemmas in the ways animals express love.

Adapted from Sena Kazuaki’s novel of the same name.

A wedding photographer (Shimekake Ryuya) and a heartbroken groom (Fujii Ryusei) come together to investigate who poisoned the bride’s champagne during a wedding reception. What they didn’t expect was to uncover the bride’s awfully dark past in the process.

Adapted from Natsubara Eiji’s novel of the same name.

In between our world and the afterlife, you’ll find the “Dogma Class”. There, humans are allowed to atone for their sins before moving on. Helping them out in this process are zombies, who are fair and kind beings that encourage humans to admit to their flaws and make up for their failings. The series follows these zombies and humans who work together to find their way to the afterlife.

Fuyuki Kozue (Shinohara Ryoko) is a strict and disciplined corrections officer who is known for being unforgivingly hard on herself and others. That changes with the arrival of a new prisoner, a convicted murderer who might have connections to her own past. Torn between her feelings and her moral compass, will this encounter be Kozue’s salvation or damnation?

Inspired by true events.

Omori Mitsuko (Kikuchi Rinko) is a woman who, following a series of betrayals and heartbreak, is unable to trust others. On Christmas Eve, she ends up at a quirky izakaya, and there, she meets several peculiar customers who might or might not change the way she looks at the world around her.

Hase Taiga (Akaso Eiji) is a part-timer at a small restaurant who finds joy in his work. Taiga has a good relationship with the restaurant owner, who trusts him to create new menu items for the place.

Meanwhile, Park Rin (Kang Hye-won) is a South Korean graduate student who is always busy with her animation course. One day, she receives a notice to move out of her dormitory, throwing her life into disarray. After all, it’s a huge challenge for a foreigner to find decent housing in Japan. Exhausted, she stops by the small restaurant where Taiga works. There, Rin finds strength in Taiga’s delicious onigiri, and he finds warmth in her smile.

Gimbap and Onigiri is coming to Netflix on January 12th!

As a teenager, Tagami Kotoha (Hashimoto Kanna) was a proper troublemaker. She was part of a ladies’ biker gang and, at the age of 16, got involved in a terrible accident with her best friend. While Kotoha recovered, her friend didn’t. That event changed Kotoha’s life forever, pushing her to study and become a neurosurgeon.

Years later, Kotoha is now a highly skilled doctor, proficient in both surgical procedures and endovascular catheter treatments. Dr Nakada (Mukai Osamu), who performed her surgery all those years ago, is amazed to see how she’s grown into one of the country’s best physicians and invites her to join his team.

Kotoha then sees herself in a hospital where paperwork, hierarchy, and profit rule over everything — and everyone — else.

Inspired by real events.

Shiokawa Mirai (Shida Mirai) is a twenty-something-year-old who hasn’t found any fulfilment in her career, dreams, or even love life yet. She’s a bit numb to her reality until Sota (Amano Yuu), a young boy claiming to be her “son from the future,” shows up in her life. As she starts sharing her days with this mysterious kid, she learns to rely on the people around her and starts taking more confident steps into her future.

Adapted from Aso Kumiko and Kuromugi Hajime’s manga series of the same name.

When Tobina Junichi (Takeuchi Ryoma) was in sixth grade, he and three of his classmates buried a handgun under the cherry tree at their elementary school. How this gun had been used and where it was hidden was a secret the four children promised to keep.

Years later, Junichi is now a police detective. He’s assigned to a murder case in which the main suspect is Iwamoto Makiko (Inoue Mao), his first love and one of the classmates who shared their childhood secret. The situation gets even more complicated when the police find out that the murder weapon is the very same handgun they buried years ago.

Adapted from Yokozeki Dai’s novel of the same name.

Silent Truth is coming to Netflix on January 13th!

During high school, Yokoi Minato (Yoshizawa Kaname) and Nakano Wataru (Amemiya Kakeru) come together through their love of photography. As university students, they then decide to share an apartment. After graduation, Minato finds a job in Hokkaido, leaving Wataru behind. That’s when Wataru realises his feelings, but chooses to keep them to himself.

Three years later, Minato contacts Wataru to tell him that he’s being transferred back. After years apart, Wataru is surprised when Minato asks him to live with him again.

Adapted from Roji’s manga of the same name.

Thirteen years ago, six young women vanished without a trace from Tokyo’s Akihabara. This case has gone unsolved for all these years and has received the name of the “Akiba Disappearance.” One of these victims is Ruri, one of genius creator Shinjo Daiki’s (Kitayama Hiromitsu) younger sisters. He then decides to develop a new game inspired by the incident and names it “Akiba Lost.” After the game’s announcement, he receives a macabre phone call telling him that, if he doesn’t stop the development, tragedy will repeat itself. Soon after, his other sister, Aoi (Matsumura Sayuri), disappears, and Daiki finds himself in a deadly dilemma.

27-year-old Tsuchida Ayana (Sugisaki Hana) is a fairly successful novelist who also works part-time at a vintage clothing shop. She has a boyfriend, but she struggles to understand what it feels like to be truly in love with someone. Determined to face her current relationship more sincerely, she decides to reflect on her past romances. Throughout her journey, she’ll try to figure out what being in love really entails.

Sounds of Winter is coming to Netflix on January 23rd!

Yoshii Yuta (Sorimachi Takashi), Fujimaki Hajime (Omori Nao), and Kikuhara Kisuke (Tsuda Kenjiro) are three 51-year-old men who couldn’t be more different. However, during their middle school days, they shared a profound passion for kung-fu movies and dedicated most of their time to their school’s film research club.

Over three decades later, Yuta, Hajime, and Kisuke come together when they hear news that human bones were found at a construction site in their hometown. As they reminisce about their middle school memories, they find an old photo with a note that reads “missing”. The trio then decides to launch their own investigation.

Soda Master is coming to Netflix on February 1st.

When Soyogi Kotaro’s (Nishiyama Jun) mother suddenly passes away, he meets funeral director Shie Sousuke (Kakizawa Hayato). Between his heartbreak and this new encounter, Kotaro decides to make some big changes in his life. He becomes Sousuke’s mentee and, as they meet each grieving family and respond to them with sincerity and respect, their journey offers a reflection on family, loneliness, and loss.

Adapted from Shimizu Shun’s manga series of the same name.

A Japanese music producer, known for being a troublemaker, and seven dropout Korean trainees come together to pursue their dreams in a story that transcends generations, nationalities, and setbacks. The series stars Nakamura Tomoya, Ikeda Elaiza, Ha Yeon-soo, Lee Yi-kyung, and Kim Jae-kyung.

Yoshioka Shiori (Matsumoto Marika) used to be the “Ace of the Forensics Lab.” Now, she applies her scientific reasoning to her daily life, as she juggles housework and childcare.

Alongside her husband, Michihiko (Yokoyama Yu), a rookie detective, and their five-year-old son, the curious Ryosuke (Sato Tasuku), Shiori tackles all sorts of “cases” as a family of three. Throughout their mystery adventures, Shiori and Michihiko have to face the challenges of modern marriage and family life.

Hayase Riku (Suzuki Ryohei) is an optimistic and talented patissier who owns the Hayase Pastry Shop. He’s also a dedicated son to his elderly mother and a caring father to his young son. His world turns upside down when his wife, Natsumi, who disappeared two and a half years ago, is found dead. The detective in charge of the case, the corrupt Gido Ayumi (Suzuki Ryohei), arrests Riku based on some really flimsy evidence. Riku decides to do whatever it takes to uncover the truth behind the murder of his wife.

Reboot is coming to Viki on February 14!

When a customer who overdosed on cocaine stabs a waiter before dying at a Roppongi nightclub, narcotics control officer Kurosaki Toru (Hosoda Yoshihiko) is assigned to the case. Kurosaki then finds Umezawa Kyonosuke (Nishihata Daigo), a former child star turned drug dealer who sold the drugs to the victim. The officer forces Kyonosuke to become his informant, which he isn’t particularly happy about.

Things get even more complicated when Kyonosuke is later arrested by Katsuragi Akito (Mukai Osamu), an Assistant Inspector from Tokyo Metropolitan Police’s Narcotics and Firearms Division, who also forces him to become his own informant. Will Kyonosuke be able to survive the criminal underworld as a double informant?

Adapted from Tajima Takashi’s manga series of the same name.

Matori and Kyoken is coming to Netflix on February 1st!

According to Apple TV’s official press release:

In season two of “Drops of God,” Camille and Issei are thrust into their most perilous challenge yet: to uncover the origin of the world’s greatest wine, a mystery so profound that even their legendary father, Alexandre Léger, could not solve it. What begins as a pursuit of legacy becomes a search for truth that spans continents and centuries, unearthing forgotten histories, hidden rivalries and secrets buried for generations. As the search pushes them to the edges of the world, and to the darkest corners of themselves, Camille and Issei must decide how much they are willing to sacrifice. The answer could shatter their bond as siblings … or destroy them both.

Adapted from Kibayashi Shin and Okimoto Shu’s manga series of the same name. The first season came out in 2023 and both are part of a co-production with France.