The 39th NHK Taiga Drama is Aoi Tokugawa Sandai. It is James Miki's dynamic and colorful tale of three generations of the Tokugawa dynasty--from its founder Ieyasu to Iemitsu, the third Shogun who solidified the Tokugawa power base.

Natsuki Obana (Takuya Kimura) is a charismatic Japanese chef running a 2-star restaurant in Paris. Despite an extreme pride and confidence, he can’t seem to earn the 3 stars he covets. Feeling the pressure of a career slipping away, Obana’s troubles are compounded when his restaurant is caught in a scandal that forces its closure and the departure of his staff. Amid his despair, a glimmer of hope arrives when he encounters a female chef with whom he is encouraged to start anew. Assembling a staff of talented chefs, he launches his restaurant but is constantly clashing with personnel. Can a middle-aged man once knocked down recover the verve of youth necessary to achieve a lifelong dream?

Saigo Takamori, the hero of the Meiji Restoration, was born to a poor, low-ranking samurai family in the Satsuma domain (present day Kagoshima Prefecture). His simple honesty caught the attention of its charismatic feudal lord of Satsuma, Shimazu Nariakira. Nariakira’s assertion that the love of people is what will enrich and strengthen the nation captivated Saigo who took on Nariakira’s secret mission and eventually became a key person for Satsuma. Not a portrait of him survives today and much of his life is a mystery. He is a man who was twice exiled and thrice married. He overthrew the Tokugawa Shogunate with exceptional bravery and action. Although he accomplished the restoration, he lost his life in a fight with the new Meiji government.