11 Popular Japanese Dramas To Watch On Netflix 2022

If you’re bored and looking for recommendations, here I have a list of the best Japanese dramas to watch on Netflix for you!

Japanese anime, manga, and books are extremely famous due to the pop culture in Japan. It is also a wonderful time you’ll spend when you’re being entertained by these. Similarly, Japanese dramas are great to binge-watch. 

Japanese dramas are super addictive because of the mise-en-scene that includes the film texture, hair, and make-up, lighting, costumes, etc. Be it any genre- horror, crime, romance, mystery or supernatural, etc. 

These recommendations of the best Japanese dramas to watch on Netflix are mostly updated from the manga but that doesn’t mean they are not worth watching. Watching these J-dramas will definitely enlighten your mood.

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Let’s get into the recommendations of best Japanese dramas to watch on Netflix for you! Binge-watch these series for a good time with your friends, family or even alone!

Best Japanese Dramas To Watch On Netflix: Summary

Best Japanese Dramas to watch on Netflix	Genre	Editor’s Rating
Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories	Comedy	8.6/10
Alice in Borderland	Tv Action, Adventure	7.2/10
Erased	Drama, Fantasy	8.5/10
Atelier	Drama	7.6/10
Million Yen Women	Rom-Com	7.7/10
Good Morning Call	Comedy	7.5/10
Switched	Sci-Fi, Drama	7.9/10
The Many Faces of ITO	Drama	6.7/10

Top Japanese Dramas To Watch On Netflix

Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories

Genre: Comedy | Age rating: 18+ | Rating: 8.6

Top Japanese Dramas on Netflix For Heart Warming and Human Connections Drama

Midnight diner: Tokyo Stories will definitely be loved by you if you’re into exploring good places and food.

It mainly focuses on Meshiya, a late-night dining experience in Shinjuku and its mysterious chef who is only called Master. 

This series is a great success in Japan and abroad. Each episode deals with a customer coming in and describing their life stories and Master offers help and advice alongside great food.

The food is often related to the customer’s personal stories and quite often their favourite food.

Midnight Diners is a great watch to know and understand more about Japanese lives and food and is definitely one of the best Japanese dramas to watch on Netflix.

Genre	Drama
Seasons	2
Episodes	20
Age Rating	18+

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Alice In Borderland

Genre: Tv Action, Adventure | Age rating: 18+ | Rating: 7.2

Top Japanese Dramas on Netflix For Gaming and Manga Fans

Alice in Borderland is about two anime gamers who find themselves in Parallel Tokyo. This Netflix drama released in 2020 has become so popular not only in Japan but also in other countries like Hong Kong. 

It is based on a manga series and follows a dystopian world of directionless gamers. Ryohei Arisu the main character finds the city abandoned after meeting his friends in Shibuya station.

There’s a voice that guides and directs him which they need to play in order to survive. Despite the setup of the show being a little dull, it’s full of adventures and thrills that we all needed in the quarantine time.

Second season is announced and as someone who has watched this, I really can’t wait for it to release.

It is my personal favourite and I think it’s one of the best Japanese dramas to watch on Netflix.

Related: Must-watch Anime Movies on Netflix

Erased

Genre: Drama, Fantasy | Age rating: 13+ | Rating: 8.5

Top Japanese Suspense Drama on Netflix

Erased is an adaptation of a very popular thriller manga that goes by the same name which also spawned an anime series.

The protagonist, Satoru Fujinuma who has the power to time-travel and save the lives of others. 

He had the chance to wake up 18 years back in time and save his mother. He not only saves his mother but also a little girl who was being kidnapped nearby. 

The Netflix drama depiction is the closest from the original material which makes it quite authentic among the other adaptations. Erased covers heavy themes like child abuse, time travel etc. 

Erased is a must watch movie if you like watching heavy stuff. It is also one of the best Japanese dramas on Netflix of all times!

Genre	Suspense, Time Travel
Seasons	1
Episodes	12
Age Rating	14+

Related: Which Japanese Movies To Watch On Netflix

Atelier

Genre: Drama | Age rating: 7+| Rating: 7.6

Atelier is one of the best Japanese dramas to watch on Netflix as it will definitely touch your heart. The word Atelier actually means workshop is one of the most realistically presented shows.

This drama is based on a character called Mayuko who works at a lingerie shop called Emotion and the struggles she deals with to make her place in the store.

Other than work, the show also highlights the socio-cultural differences that are present in Japanese culture. 

Atelier reflects on very essential issues in a creative way to make the people aware about sensitive issues in society.

One can learn so much from this film. I’m sure you’ll call it one of the best Japanese dramas to watch on Netflix once you actually watch it. 

Related: Must Watch Anime Series on Netflix

Million Yen Women

Genre: 16+ | Age rating: Rom-Com | Rating: 7.7

Top Japanese Dramas on Netflix For A Refreshing Concept

Million Yen Women is a mixture of comedy and suspense. It is about a novelist who is not great at his skills and faces criticism almost every time is surprised one day. 

Five young and beautiful women come together and offer a great deal to let them all stay together with him. They agree to comply with all the rules and pay the rent on time.

The ladies make suspicious moves that only fun to watch. So go watch this one of the best Japanese dramas to watch on Netflix with your friends to have a great time together!

Genre	Drama, Mystery
Seasons	1
Episodes	12
Age Rating	18+

Related: Must-watch Japanese TV Shows on Netflix

Good Morning Call

Genre: Comedy | Age rating: 13+| Rating: 7.5

Romance is something that goes best with comedy and is surely loved by all for a quick and light binge.

You must definitely watch Good Morning Call as it is one of the best Japanese shows to watch on Netflix for a great time with your partner.

Good Morning Call is about a girl who starts living  in the same apartment with her college crush and later falls head over heels in love with him. The roles played by the characters are very catchy and cute.

A light watch that has two seasons on Netflix for you to binge on and feels great about it. Go for it!

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Switched

Genre: Sci-Fi & Drama | Age rating: 18+ | Rating: 7.9

Top Japanese Dramas on Netflix For Switching Bodies and Souls

When we talk about body switching, it always reminds me of Freaky Friday until I actually watched this show which is as far from being comic as FF.

Switched is about the protagonist Zenko Umine, a high-school student who commits suicide. 

The reason for her suicide was her detroriating mental state with depression and pressure. Fellow student, Ayumi sees this and passes out. She wakes up and realises that she is in the body of Umine.

The story unravels as to why they switched bodies and why did Unime commit suicide. The show talks about sensitive topics like depression and suicide and is one of the best Japanese dramas to watch on Netflix!

Genre	Sci-Fi, Mystery
Seasons	1
Episodes	6
Age Rating	18+

The Many Faces Of ITO

Genre: Drama | Age rating: 16+ | Rating: 6.7

Top Japanese Dramas on Netflix For Romance and Drama

The Many Faces of Ito is also one of the best Japanese dramas to watch on Netflix that includes romance, drama and a little comedy.

It is about a screenwriter Rio Yazaki who tricks four love-sick women to talk about their love adventure and uses it to write a script. 

The series might be based in Japan but the theme is universal and that’s what makes it worth a binge. It is a twisted plot which is indirectly linked to romance but essentially dramatic in every essence.

Lovely series to watch with your friends or loved ones for a quick binge-session!

Genre	Rom-Com
Seasons	1
Episodes	8
Age Rating	14+

Samurai Gourmet

Top Japanese Dramas on Netflix For Relaxing and Having a Good Laugh

Love food and drama? Samurai Gourmet is one of those Japanese series you will surely enjoy. I personally love food and enjoy watching shows where people try out street food.

I also love cooking shows (though I’m not exactly a wizard in the kitchen), and Samurai Gourmet was one that I binge watched. It’s about this retired man who has worked hard all his life with no time to enjoy himself. He now has all the time in the world to explore his true passion – food. 

But how does he do that without being judged? He creates this alter ego, a samurai, which is another one of his passions to truly experience the culinary pleasures in his neighbourhood. Samurai Gourmet brings out the best in the lead actor as he goes through various emotions when he tastes food from his childhood, bringing back nostalgic memories. 

Genre	Comedy
Seasons	1
Episodes	12
Age Rating	All ages

Good Morning Call

Top Japanese Dramas on Netflix For Light Hearted Romance and Comedy

If you want to get away from all the seriousness of life and indulge in some light heartedness and fun, watch Good Morning Call. The series is about a popular boy and an average girl from the same high school who end up living in the same house but don’t realise it until they actually bump into each other on moving day. 

I laughed my heart out at all the rules the lead characters set when they had to move in as roommates in a new apartment. Keeping their “living situation” a secret from the rest of the school was another laughter riot! Get a huge bowl of popcorn ready, cos you’re going to binge watch this till you get to the end.

Genre	Rom-Com
Seasons	2
Episodes	27
Age Rating	14+

Followers

Top Japanese Dramas on Netflix For Social Media Themed Drama

Social Media is fun, glamorous, exciting, but with it, it also brings some dark perils. Followers is a series that explores the world of Japanese social media. It does not really take a moral high ground, instead simply shows the truth. Two women meet and connect, one a photographer and another, an aspiring actress. 

Like many Japanese drama series, this one also develops slowly (you kind of need a bit of patience and have to actually live through every episode to enjoy it). The main characters are very likable, the visuals are excellent and the music is entertaining. Watch this when you’re bored for some light entertainment. 

Genre	Drama, Romance
Seasons	1
Episodes	9
Age Rating	18+

Which is the best Japanese show to watch on Netflix?

I love watching Japanese dramas on Netflix and have watched a lot of them in the past. I found Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories to be the best in terms of plot, characters, theme and engagement. 

Midnight Diners: Tokyo Stories mainly focuses on Meshiya, a late-night dining experience in Shinjuku and its mysterious chef who is only called Master. This series is a great success in Japan and abroad. Each episode deals with a customer coming in and describing their life stories and Master offers help and advice alongside great food.

Japanese Dramas For A Quick Binge!

Japanese dramas are lovely and have become my favourite pastime. All these recommendations are my personal favourites and I hope you love it too.

Watching these will refresh your mind and most importantly open a window about Japanese dramas in your mind.

Hope all these suggestions of the best Japanese dramas to watch on the Netflix list and recommend to your friends or family the same!

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