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| Nao Honda to Cut Through Walls in Gritty New Drama Set in a Women’s Prison Salon (WOWOW) |
Nao Honda steps into the lead role in WOWOW’s upcoming dorama Hei no Naka no Miyoshitsun (塀の中の美容室), based on the award-winning novel by Sakurai Mina – and yes, it’s set inside a real-life prison hair salon.
Kicking off on Friday, 22 August 2025 at 11pm, the series takes inspiration from actual beauty salons that operate within women’s prisons in Japan — where inmates, trained as hairdressers, cut the hair of regular civilians from outside.
Bit unusual? Absolutely. But it’s also deeply human.
Nao plays Haru Komatsubara, a prisoner and licensed hairdresser working at the fictional Aozora Beauty Salon, tucked inside a women’s correctional facility.
With every haircut, she quietly connects with clients from the outside world — women each carrying their own baggage, hopes, regrets, and stories.
Through this, Haru also confronts her own past and begins to figure out what kind of future, if any, she still wants.
The drama, officially titled WOWOW’s W-30 “Hei no Naka no Miyoshitsu”, promises a heartfelt, introspective ride that blurs the line between punishment and personal growth.
Nao Honda’s commitment to the role is nothing short of intense — she even visited Kasamatsu Prison in Gifu Prefecture, which inspired the original novel, to study the real salon setup and observe inmates working as beauticians.
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She’s also trained to perform haircuts and styling scenes herself on-screen (yes, those scissors are really in her hands!).
The original novel Hei no Naka no Miyoshitsu became a sleeper hit, topping reader polls and later being adapted into a manga that snagged a Media Arts Festival Award.
Now, its raw, empathetic story is being brought to the small screen with a seriously talented crew.
Scriptwriter Kyoko Inukai (Call Boy, The Phone of the Wind) is on board, while Kana Matsumoto, known for the critically acclaimed Fence, directs.
The music score comes from Masaki Hayashi, whose work has appeared alongside the likes of Ringo Sheena and in films like A Wonderful World.
And yes — this isn’t just fiction dressed up to look real.
With full support from Japan’s Correction Bureau, parts of the drama were filmed in actual prison settings, to capture the atmosphere and humanity as authentically as possible.
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Nao herself shared how the experience changed her perspective:
“At first, prison felt like a faraway place, separated from our everyday lives by walls — but visiting and playing Haru made me realise it’s not unreachable. It’s part of the same sky we all live under.”
Sakurai Mina, the author of the original novel, said she was moved to see her characters come alive on set:
“Nao-san’s portrayal of Haru was exactly how I imagined her. The team’s care in recreating the salon touched me deeply. I hope this story continues to reach many hearts.”
Only 7 episodes, with the first one airing free, Hei no Naka no Miyoshitsu looks set to be one of WOWOW’s standout dramas this year — not just for its premise, but for the quiet strength of its message: that even behind bars, healing and hope can still take root.