"Bakebake" Episode 27: Nami talks about the hardships of being a "Rashaman" - A huge response from viewers

The 27th episode of the NHK Asadora"Bakebake " (Monday to Saturday, 8:00 AM and other times), in which Akari Takaishi plays the heroine, was broadcast on November 4th, and included a scene in which the prostitute Nami ( Honami Sato) spoke about the hardships of being a "rasshamen" (Western concubine), which became a hot topic among viewers.

In episode 27, Nami, a prostitute, learns from reporter Kajitani (Iwasaki Udai) that Heaven (Tommy Bastow) is looking for a maid. Nami, who had hoped to become Heaven's rashamen in order to leave the brothel, is anxious, but tells herself, "But I'll do it. If I can, I can do it..."

When Toki (Takaishi) asks, "What happened?" Kajitani mutters, "Maybe I got scared." Nami admits, "Well, yeah..." and adds, "I've heard from customers and geisha that being a Rashamen is a really tough experience. Just because you're a foreigner's mistress, you're told you're not human... You're called names, you get stones thrown at you, you get spat on, you're stripped of all your clothes, you're tied to trees, and in the end, some of them can't take it anymore and throw themselves into the sea."

Then she confesses, "But... but I sold myself to be a good son to my parents, and although it may seem strange to say I'm serious, I've been a prostitute seriously. I've been thinking that I want to get out of here for a while now. The time has finally come." Nami apologizes for telling such a dark story and asks Toki and Kajitani not to throw stones at her.

Comments on social media included, "It is clear that there was tremendous discrimination at the time. The seriousness of the situation breaks my heart," "Even Nami shudders at the way the Rashamen were treated," "It's painful to hear Nami say, 'Don't throw stones at us even if we become Rashamen,'" "It's not foreigners who are tormenting these women who are trying so hard to live, it's their own people," "She first learned about the hardships of the Rashamen... aaah Toki," and "Hearing about the way the Rashamen are treated makes me worry about Toki's future."