JAPANESE DRAMA DATABASE: Dr. Koto Shinryojo

Dr. Koto Shinryojo

[Excerpt from Daily Yomiuri, July 17, 2003, Wm. Penn]: The story is based on a book by Takatoshi Yamada and has been adapted for TV by Noriko Yoshida. Yoshida is a graduate of So Kuramoto's Furano Juku, the acting and writing school established by the creator of the "Kita no Kuni Kara" series, and it shows in the script. She does a good job of reflecting the essence of rural life in Japan, the warm but sometimes stifling human relations and the harsh reality of a life steeped in nature but lacking
life's conveniences and many of its necessities. The dialogue also has a touch of reality to it. In rural Japan, where communities are often more like huge extended families, much of the formality of urban life gives way to an earthy frankness. After a small boy has had an appendectomy on the deck of his father's boat, some old fellow's
idea of a joke is to chide the child with the line, "So they gutted you like a fish right there on the boat, did they?" It is also indicative of their hesitation to praise and trust the new doctor. They have been disappointed too many times in the past. The script is full of ironic touches that ring true, like the poor doc suffering from terrible sea sickness himself. Yes, this one looks poised to be my season favorite, earning 4 1/2 stars for episode one.

[Japan Times, Channel Surf, November 7, 2004]: One of the most popular series from summer 2003 was "Dr. Koto Shinryojo (Dr. Koto's Clinic)," about an idealistic young doctor who set up the only medical facility on Shikina, a remote island in the Ryukyus. At first, Dr. Goto ("Koto" is a local pronunciation) is mistrusted by the local residents,
who don't take to outsiders unless they are tourists. But eventually his sincerity and dedication win them over.

This week, Fuji TV presents a two-part followup to the series (Fri. & Sat., 9 p.m.). It has been one year since Dr. Goto (Hidetaka Yoshioka) has settled on Shikina Island, and the local people would like nothing better than for the young physician to marry his pretty nurse assistant Saika (Ko Shimazaki), but on the day of the island festival Saika finds her mother passed out in the kitchen.

[Excerpt from Daily Yomiuri, October 7, 2006, Wm. Penn]: If this sounds dramatic but just a bit too grim, try Fuji's Dr. Koto Shinryojo 2006. Airing in the same time slot, it takes us back to Japan's westernmost island--Yonagunijima in Okinawa Prefecture--to discover whether nurse Hoshino (Ko Shibasaki) will finally win the doc's heart this time around. Certainly, one of these shows has to be a winner, right? Eternal optimists just never give up.

[Excerpt from Daily Yomiuri, "'Dr. Koto' supported by islanders", October 19, 2006, Jin Kiyokawa]:The latest series of the popular drama Dr. Koto Shinryojo, which features a young doctor working on a remote island, started this week on the Fuji TV network. On my recent visit to observe the taping of the new series, Dr. Koto Shinryojo 2006, on Yonaguni Island, Okinawa Prefecture, I saw that the drama's beautiful images of nature and local life had been produced thanks to local people's full cooperation with the staff.

The first series of Dr. Koto Shinryojo, featuring a doctor, Kensuke Goto (Hidetaka Yoshioka), who works on a koto--a remote, isolated island--aired in 2003, with a further two special episodes aired in 2004. Yonagunijima, which is the setting for the drama's fictional Shikinajima island, is Japan's westernmost island, more than 500 kilometers from the main island of Okinawa. It has not become too touristy, so those who do visit can easily have a look at ordinary islanders' lives. From the island, you can see Taiwan on the horizon on fine days. Tourists can enjoy unique scenery, including weird-looking rocks carved by the waves, local harbors where marlin fishermen gather, and the sight of water oxen bathing near the shore. The fictional doctor's small clinic, Shikinajima Shinryojo, has been built on sloping ground on the southern coastal part of Yonagunijima.

Tourists can visit the set--when it is not in use for filming--if they apply in advance to the local Yonagunicho office. "There were some people, who came here [to the island] only to see the TV set," said Sukeharu Yoneshiro, an official of the town's industry promotion section. Whenever typhoons approach the island, town officials have to be careful to preserve the clinic by closing the shutters and boarding up the windows, he said. In addition to the town office, many islanders are personally cooperating to help produce the TV drama.

The home of Kosho Arikohama, who works for the town's education board, is used to depict the house of two characters: Shoichi (Kaoru Kobayashi) and his daughter Ayaka (Ko Shibasaki). "When seeing my house on TV, I feel as if it's not my own," the house owner said, confessing that fame has brought a degree of inconvenience as he is not allowed to undertake any major alterations to his house because of the serial drama. Eiji Fujino, a production staff member and chief location scout, has been preparing for the new series' taping since he arrived on the island in January. Even islanders sometimes are surprised at the beautiful scenery featured in the drama. Fujino said, "I was very happy when they told me they never realized there were such wonderful places [on the island]." Director Isao Nakae started taping the series in June, before the typhoon season, taking a lesson from his experience with the drama's special episode in 2004, when the broadcast had to be postponed after typhoons disrupted shooting.

This year, I saw the staff members fighting the extreme heat of summer by setting up a large sun shade for the actors and fanning themselves. Yoshioka, who plays the doctor, said: "The only thing that bothers me [about the island] is the hot weather. But I believe even that helps in conveying the atmosphere of local life through the TV screen."

STARRING: Yoshioka Hidetaka, Shibasaki Kou, Tokita Saburo, Otsuka Nene, Ishida Yuriko, Sengoku Noriko, Izumiya Shigeru, Kakei Toshio, Kobayashi Kaoru
NETWORK: TBS
THEME SONG: by Nakajima Miyuki / "Omoide Dakede wa tsuruzugiru" by Shibasaki Kou
DURATION: July 2003 through September 2003 / [2 part special on Novemgber 12-13, 2004]/Dr. Koto Shinryojo 2006 - October through December 2006
REVIEWS:

Dominated the ratings for Japanese trendy dramas for the Summer and easily was selected #1 drama for Summer 2003. Due to the fact that there are no male superstars in this drama, the storyline was enough to catch the attention of old and young with it's all-star cast of old and up-and-coming. For those with an open mind and can get away from the "trendy" of trendy dramas outside of the Tokyo area and focus on the rural areas of Japan, you will enjoy this drama. - Shion