Hey folks,

If you’re into the history of Japan at all, then you most certainly watch the NHK yearly historical “Taiga” dramas. This year’s version is called “Ryoma den“, referring to Sakamoto Ryoma (坂本龍馬), a young samurai who is seen as being instrumental to bridging the gap between Japan and the outside world in many different ways. Ryoma is being portrayed by actor / musician Fukuyama Masaharu (福山 雅治)、whom I’ve heard once traveled a great distance by himself seeking out new horizons.

Although I’ve been playing the producer role for most of the past couple of years, I’m back to acting this time around, playing an Englishman, William J. Alt (ウィリアム・オールト), from episode 28 on, that helps the Satsuma clan battle the Tokugawa government. So far I’ve had the pleasure to work alongside Fukuyama san, Oizumi Yo (大泉洋), Kaname Jun (要潤), Sato Takeru (佐藤健), Aoi Yu (蒼井優), Kimiko Yo (余 貴美子) and Tim Wellard (ティム・ウェラード), playing Thomas Blake Glover (トーマス・ブレーク・グラバー), among others.

For those interested, here’s a quick bio of Mr. Alt, taken from the Nagasaki Foreign Settlement site:

William John Alt was born April 4, 1840 in Greenwich, England. At the age of twelve he entered the Merchant Service. Seven years later he joined the Customs Service in China, but left for Nagasaki later the same year after the port was opened to foreign trade. He registered with the British Consulate in Nagasaki January 6, 1860 as a general commission agent. Like his fellow young merchant-adventurer from Britain, Thomas Glover, William Alt made a considerable fortune in the first decade of the foreign settlement by trading tea, marine products, ships and weapons.

Jeffrey /ジェフリ

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