Ayuko Tsukahara

is a director from Saitama Prefecture, Japan. Tsukahara joined Kinoshita Productions (currently TBS Sparkle) in 1997 after graduating from Chiba University with a Bachelor of Arts. When she was a college student, she was just an ordinary college student who liked movies and theater. When she was looking for a job, she saw on a website that they were looking for a screenwriter, and thinking, "I am a major in literature, so I could probably do some writing work," she applied to her current company. She directed her first television series in 2005 with Yume de Aimashou, followed by the popular Unnatural, La Grande Maison Tokyo, and MIU404. She won the Galaxy Award for Excellence in Television for Unnatural and other awards. She received Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology's Art Encouragement Award in 2021 for her production of MIU404. She made her film directorial debut in 2018 with Cafe Funiculi Funicula, followed by As Long As We Both Shall Live (My Happy Marriage) in 2023, Last Mile and La Grande Maison Paris in 2024, etc. She is actively working not only as a television series director but also as a film director.

Awards

Filmography Television Series (selected) Unless otherwise mentioned, this is a TBS Television series Last Money: Ai no Nedan (2011, Director/Producer) The Night Ferris Wheel (2013, Director) Saburo Sugimura Series (2013, Director) Limit (2013, Director/Producer) Tonight, Hold My Heart Alone (2014, Director) Alice's Thorn (2014, Director) Reverse (2017, Director) TV Tokyo 55th anniversary special drama special “A Not You” (2018, Director) The Good Wife (2019, Director) La Grande Maison Tokyo (2019, Director) La Grande Maison Tokyo Special (2024, Director) MIU404 (2020, Director) Captivated, by You (2021, Director) Why I Dress Up for Love (2021, Director) Dearest (2021, Director) Ishiko and Haneo: You're Suing Me? (2022, Director) Worst to First: A Teen Baseball Miracle (2023, Director) The Sleeping Diamond on the Sea (2024, Director) Lost 10 (2026, Director)

Films Cafe Funiculi Funicula (2018, Director) As Long As We Both Shall Live (2023, Director) Last Mile (2024, Director) La Grande Maison Paris (2024, Director) 1st Kiss (2025, Director)