The Ghost Writer’s Wife Episode 31 Drops Soon: Release Time and Where to Watch
Sleeper hit The Ghost Writer’s Wife surges into Episode 31 on NHK November 10, 2025, keeping its weekday 8:00 A.M. JST grip with Akari Takaishi as Toki Matsuno and Tommy Bastow as Lefkada Heaven, directed by Naoki Murahashi.
NHK has been quietly feeding us a moody little morning obsession, and it is back at it again. Episode 31 of The Ghost Writer's Wife lands next week, keeping that daily drip of Meiji-era melancholy going strong.
What this show actually is
Since premiering in September 2025, this period drama has been rolling out new 15-minute episodes every weekday at 8:00 A.M. JST. Akari Takaishi plays Toki Matsuno, a young woman from a once-prestigious samurai family who ends up working for a foreign author. Tommy Bastow co-stars as the writer, named Lefkada Heaven, which is a winking nod to Lafcadio Hearn. The series is directed by Naoki Murahashi and written by Mitsuhiko Fujiki, and it is reportedly based on the real life of Koizumi Setsuko, Hearn’s wife. So yes, the names are playfully tweaked, but the bones are drawn from an actual couple navigating a rapidly changing Japan.
The vibe: two lonely people connecting over ghost stories, cultural gaps, and that uneasy feeling that the world is moving on without you.
Episode 31: when and where
- Episode: 31
- Date: Monday, November 10, 2025
- Time: 8:00 A.M. JST
- Where: NHK (Japan)
- Runtime: about 15 minutes
- Season: 1
- Release cadence: new episodes Monday through Friday at 8:00 A.M. JST
- Time across regions: JST 8:00 A.M. Nov 10; PHT 7:00 A.M. Nov 10; IST 4:30 A.M. Nov 10; ET 6:00 P.M. Nov 9; CT 5:00 P.M. Nov 9; PT 3:00 P.M. Nov 9
Where to watch
In Japan, tune in on NHK at the usual morning slot. Subtitled versions typically show up shortly after the broadcast, and in parts of Asia, platforms that carry NHK content often update within a few hours. If you are watching outside Japan, keep an eye on your regular NHK sources after the live airing.
Where the story stands heading into Episode 31
By the end of Episode 30, Heaven has moved into a new home with Nishikori. He is trying to settle into daily life but still bumps into culture shock at every turn. Meanwhile, Toki is seeing just how far her world has shifted from the samurai roots she grew up with. It is a slow-burn tale about connection and loss, and how love can sneak up on you in the least expected way, all wrapped in that soft-focus Meiji atmosphere that makes it feel both specific and strangely timeless.
The real-life angle, decoded
If the names sound familiar-but-not, that is intentional. The series draws from Koizumi Setsuko’s story with her husband, Lafcadio Hearn, the writer famous for collecting Japanese ghost lore. Here, he is reimagined as Lefkada Heaven, and the show leans into their shared fascination with the supernatural as a bridge between two very different lives.
How long this ride goes
The Ghost Writer's Wife is expected to keep airing into early 2026, so there is still plenty of runway before we find out exactly where Toki and Heaven’s fragile, haunted connection lands.
Curious where Episode 31 takes them? Same. See you Monday morning.