<figure id="attachment_455154" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-455154" style="width: 5005px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="52403789"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/01/022889077ee1adca1186e649d5fde463.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-455154" class="wp-caption-text">Wakana Matsumoto to star in NHK drama &#8220;Confrontation&#8221; to be broadcast this spring</figcaption></figure>
<h2><span class="strongInContent"> A beautiful woman who blends in with the downtown area</span></h2>
<p> On Christmas Eve last year, I encountered a group of women happily walking along a shopping street in downtown Tokyo. All of them were heavily dressed in bench coats and down jackets, carrying large bags, paper bags, and many other items. Even so, they seemed to be having a good time, especially a beautiful woman with a model&#8217;s figure who was walking in the middle of the group. The beautiful woman is &#8230;&#8230;. She is Wakana Matsumoto, 41, an actor.</p>
<p> On the day of the event, the Joyful Minowa shopping street (Arakawa Ward) was the site of filming for NHK&#8217;s drama series &#8220;Confrontation,&#8221; which is scheduled to air this spring.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> The drama is based on the book &#8220;Confrontation&#8221; by author Ryoe Tsukimura. A newspaper reporter hears a shocking rumor that a certain medical school intentionally lowers the scores of female students in the scoring process of entrance examinations, and starts his own investigation. From there, their struggle is depicted in this social entertainment film. Matsumoto plays the main character, newspaper reporter Hiba Kikuno, and the other main character, board member Kanbayashi Harumi, is played by Suzuki Honami (59)&#8221; (TV magazine writer).</span></p>
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<p> NHK announced the production of the drama on December 16, 2011. It was eight days later that this website witnessed the filming.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> The two may have been filming separately. When we saw Ms. Matsumoto, she had already finished filming and was walking happily with the staff,&#8221; said a local resident who was in the shopping area.</span></p>
<p> Joyful Minowa is known as one of the most retro Showa-era shopping streets in Tokyo, and has appeared in numerous productions, including the drama &#8220;3 Years B Class Kinpachi Sensei&#8221; (TBS) and the movie &#8220;Shoplifting Family. It is now widely known as a &#8220;sacred place for filming locations.</p>
<p> Perhaps that is why the shoppers who noticed Matsumoto&#8217;s appearance looked surprised for a moment, but did not call out to him, and instead passed him by in a familiar manner. Perhaps they did not notice the girls because they were so integrated into the local atmosphere. &#8230;&#8230;</p>
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<p> Speaking of Matsumoto, she also appeared in the TBS Sunday drama &#8220;The Royal Family&#8221; in the October season last year, and she continues to be a very successful actress. This drama is about discrimination against women in the workplace, and in playing the role,</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> Even if there are times when women temporarily leave the workplace, in the long run, the power that women bring to society is very significant. I believe so. It would be a source of great pride for me, as the actress who plays Kikuno, if this drama leaves even a small impression on the hearts of those who watch it.</span></p>
<p> (from the NHK program official website). She is sending out messages such as &#8220;I am very proud to play Kikuno,&#8221; which is typical of her, as she experienced a long period of low-class work before becoming a successful actor.</p>
<p> One cannot help but have high expectations for the socially-conscious drama in which Matsumoto will play the role.</p>
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<div data-friday-nextpage-lead=" Wakana Matsumoto walking in the shopping street after the shooting"></div>
<figure id="attachment_455155" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-455155" style="width: 4848px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="302fe387"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/01/21145c4b83bfa807635eb1c2fdccc4fb-1.jpeg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-455155" class="wp-caption-text">Wakana Matsumoto blended in well with the retro Showa-era atmosphere.</figcaption></figure>
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<figure id="attachment_455158" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-455158" style="width: 5005px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="1dc0a47c"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/01/cca5beb8ec109f5e427e735263cee0a5-1.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-455158" class="wp-caption-text"> Wakana Matsumoto was so full of energy that it was hard to believe that she had just finished filming</figcaption></figure>
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<figure id="attachment_455159" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-455159" style="width: 5005px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="f868616e"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/01/f8d8f118c550e5be295ff7bb19f26f20-1.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-455159" class="wp-caption-text"> In &#8220;Confrontation,&#8221; she plays a newspaper reporter who investigates the dark side of the medical school entrance examinations.</figcaption></figure>


 Kumataro Arai

 On Christmas Eve last year, we spotted Wakana Matsumoto at a retro shopping street in downtown Tokyo where a drama was being filmed! She was walking happily with a female staff member. We were surprised by her small face and beautiful style that suddenly appeared in the downtown area!

Wakana Matsumoto was spotted walking along the Showa-era retro shopping street, a &#8220;sacred location for filming!　She looks beautiful with a small face on the set of NHK&#8217;s Spring Drama.

Wakana Matsumoto was spotted walking along the Showa-era retro shopping street, a “sacred location for filming!　She looks beautiful with a small face on the set of NHK’s Spring Drama.

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Wakana Matsumoto was spotted walking along the Showa-era retro shopping street, a “sacred location for filming! She looks beautiful with a small face on the set of NHK’s Spring Drama.

Access Ranking

Wakana Matsumoto was spotted walking along the Showa-era retro shopping street, a “sacred location for filming!　She looks beautiful with a small face on the set of NHK’s Spring Drama.