Sakura

is a Japanese serialized morning television drama series that was broadcast on NHK. It aired a total of 156 episodes from April 1 to September 28, 2002. Each episode of the series was 15 minutes long, airing every morning except Sunday. It chronicles the life of Matsushita Sakura, a Japanese-American from Hawaii who moves to a small town in Japan to be an assistant language teacher for Japanese middle-school students. Premise Sakura Matsushita, a Sansei (third-generation) Japanese-American living in Hawaii, who comes to Japan to live with her grandparents. Later, she moves because she has to teach English to Japanese middle-school students as an assistant language teacher. There she learns many valuable lessons and makes new friends. Cast Shiho Takano - Elizabeth Sakura Matsushita (primary character) Hideji Otaki - James Takero Matsushita (Sakura's grandfather, narrator) Yukiyoshi Ozawa - Keisuke Katsuragi Ken Teraizumi - Ichiro Matsushita Hiromi Ōta as Kyoko Matsushita (Sakura's mother) Keiko Tsushima - Toshiko Matsushita Kaori Itakura - Momo Matsushita (Sakura's sister) Thane Camus - Robert Hoffman (Sakura's fiancé) Alphabet Words Taught