A new trailer for the anime adaptation of Tomoko Yamashita’s Ikoku Nikki (Diary of a Strange Land) manga series confirms the anime’s January 4 premiere. The Ikoku Nikki anime will air on BS Asahi on January 4 at 11:00 p.m. JST (9:00 a.m. EST), and Amazon Prime Video and other streaming services will stream the anime in Japan.
The Ikoku Nikki cast members include:
- Miyuki Sawashiro as Makio Kōdai
- Fuko Mori as Asa Takumi
- Junichi Suwabe as Shingo Kasamachi
- Sumire Morohoshi as Emiri Nara
- Eriko Matsui as Nana Daigo
- Takashi Kondō as Kazunari Tōno
- Sayaka Ōhara as Minori Takumi
Singer-songwriter TOMOO performs the opening theme song “Sonare,” and Bialystocks performs the ending theme song “Kotozute (Hearsay).”
Ikoku Nikki premieres in January 2026 on the ABC TV, Tokyo MX, and BS Asahi channels in Japan.
Miyuki Oshiro is directing the anime at studio Shuka. Kohei Kiyasu is handling the series composition and writing the scripts, and Kenji Hayama is the character designer. kensuke ushio is the anime’s music composer.
Additional staff members include:
- Sub-Character Designer: Toshie Kawamura
- Prop Setting: Miyako Kanō
- Costume Setting: Kaede Aizawa
- Art: Eriko Takahashi
- Color Design: Miho Tanaka
- Director of Photography: Tomo Namiki
- Editing: Kazuhiko Seki
- Sound Director: Takahiro Ōmori
Yamashita launched the manga in June 2017 in Shodensha’s Feel Young magazine and ended it in June 2023. The manga series is about a 35-year-old novelist named Makio Kōdai and her 15-year-old niece Asa, who live together. Makio took Asa in after Asa’s parents passed away. The following day, Makio remembers that she doesn’t do well in the company of other people. As a result, Makio attempts to acclimate to living with a roommate, while Asa attempts to get used to an adult who never acts like one.
 manga series premieres on January 4.){kind=link}