Good Slice of life Japanese Dramas

I am looking for really good Japanese dramas.  To be honest, I am a slice of life genre types - doesn't matter the sub-types like romance, thriller, comedy etc. To put it bluntly, I am not the Hana Yori Dango types (apologies to the hoards of fans, no offence intended).  I am a sucker for realistic dramas.

Despite my better intentions I have never been able to complete these famous dramas :

• https://mydramalist.com/19702-nigeru-wa-haji-da-ga-yaku-ni-tatsu 
• https://mydramalist.com/15460-5-ji-kara-9-ji-made 
• https://mydramalist.com/16477-good-morning-call 
• https://mydramalist.com/26160-todome-no-kiss 

etc.

I hate the stereotypical characterization and lack of interesting plot or below the par performances. I had lost faith in Japanese dramas until I saw the below listed dramas which made me form an opinion that when good Japanese dramas are made they literally have no comparison and you will never be able to get over them.  They are the best at portraying the raw emotions without the fluff and unnecessary props.

ERASED/Boku dake ga inai machi

https://mydramalist.com/23222-boku-dake-ga-inai-machi 

Chugakusei Nikki

https://mydramalist.com/29908-chugakusei-nikki 

Soredemo, Ikite yuku

https://mydramalist.com/2662-soredemo-ikite-yuku 

Hirugao

https://mydramalist.com/10447-hirugao 

The above dramas were so unforgettable for me, that I feel a thirst to discover such beautifully made dramas. I am not scared of the taboo tags aka #infidelity since if you get past that tag, (in Chugakusei Nikki and Hirugao) , there was no mollification of the act what so ever, all the sides were properly put forward and the love portrayed was just too pure even if it was forbidden. Of course the performances were also outstanding which put those dramas at an even higher pedestal. 

Currently, this is for dramas only since good Japanese movies are easier to come by.  I would be extremely happy if you experienced souls out there could help me out with suggestions.

Since you're into slice of life, maybe try these:

• Pan to Soup to Neko Biyori
• Going My Home
• Yutori desu ga nani ka?*
• Toumei na Yurikago*
• Dakara Koya*
• Tokyo Joshi Zukan*
• Kinou Nani Tabeta?
• Hibana
• Sumu Sumu
• Toho Nanahun
• Princess Maison
• Joshiteki Seikatsu*
• Anything written by Sakamoto Yuji

*More of a "drama" drama than legit "slice of life", but the acting and presentation is more naturalistic than a lot of Jdramas out there, so I decided to add them.

NGL Japanese does slice of life and serious dramas better than any other Asian country without a question.

- family -
Mother (yes, there's a korean remake. watch the japanese version.)
Saka no Tochu no ie
Hikari to Tomo ni
Bara no nai Hanaya
Aishiteru
Woman
Home Drama
Wakamono Tachi
- other -
And, Live (not out yet, but HPriest, a jdrama subber, already announced he'll sub it, so look forward to it)
Quartet
anone
1 Litre of Tears
Boku no Ita Jikan
Nankyoku Tairiku
Tenno no Ryoriban
Mahoro Ekimae Bangaichi
Saigo Kara Nibanme no Koi (this is slice of life to the point that you may even be bored LOL)
- business/psychological/politics -
Roosevelt Game
Hanzawa Naoki
The Great White Tower
Karamazov no Kyodai
Byakuyako
Legal High
Shinya Shokudo

If you're interested in female heroines, more "inspiring" stories, I recommend getting into asadoras (morning dramas). They are 156 episodes of 15 min each. You don't get as slice of life as asadoras, honestly, and you'd be surprised how binge-worthy they are. I recommend starting with Amachan, Asa ga Kita, or Oshin (which was the highest rated asadora in Japan ever) but have a look at the list and see which heroine's "journey" interests you the most.

Amachan is a good slice of life drama if you are willing to watch 156 eps @15mins

 indie fox:

You don't get as slice of life as asadoras, honestly,

this exactly

N no Tame Ni is also a "realistic" slice of life with a mystery flavor (it has the same director and screenwriter as Chugakusei Nikki)

Reverse is also good. Both N no Tame Ni and Reverse are adapted from Kanae Minato novel, and id also recommend all drama(and movie)s adapted from her novel, a good mix of mystery and slice of life, more mystery tho tbh.

You have got way too many recommendations, and I don't believe in giving too many recommendations at once { how a person is supposed to choose } so I will only pick 2, The emperor's cook and Rikuoh.

Hi

If you don't mind serious themes served without sugarcoating or easy optimism, I strongly recommend medical dramas produced by WOWOW. Kami no Te is airing now, Kokou no mesu ended earlier this year. Top-notch writing and acting; however these are definitely not feel-good shows.

• 1 litre of tears (this drama is a must watch!! You can't miss it)
• Kazoku no Katachi
• Rookies
• Tumbling
• Maou
• Byakuyakou
• Kazoku Game
• N no tame ni
• Love that makes you cry (same writer as soredemo ikite yuku)
• Nagareboshi

Mare - About a girl who at the beginning afraid to pursue her dream because her Dad is a dream sucker and end up making the whole family poor.

Asa Ga Kita - About a woman who has a passion for education. It's inspired by a real-life figure.

Gou Himetachi - this is historical drama. Very nice. Learn a lot about japan history during the warring period. Gou is Nobunaga's niece. She was captured and live with her parents enemy. She married 3 times before she ended up to become Tokugawa's daughter-in-law. The drama also tells about her sister who all married into 3 different families who all giving their influence to shape the country.

Kanna-san The main character, while she is ugly, she is a very bright person. One day she found out that her husband is cheating on her. Then she reevaluates her life and starts to focus on following her dream.

In This Corner of the world Tells about the life of Suzu in the period WW2. Based on the manga. There is also the animation movie too which won the animation film festival. 

Gegege no Nyobo - Based on the real life story of Mizuki (creator of Gegege no Kitaro) sensei's wife. 

Taiyo wa Shizumanai - An old drama of Hideaki Takizawa.  The main chara has a really bad relationship with his mom. Suddenly his mom passed away due to the hospital negligence. 

Code Blue - Tell a story about emergency doctors.

Fake Couple - Hiro is worshipped as an aloof and gentle beauty while actually, she dislikes people. She does not believe in love since Choji, the only guy she loved suddenly left her and declare that he is gay. She ends up in a fake marriage with Choji for the sake of Choji's mother.