I'm still a beginner in Japanese and trying to listen to as much as possible. The most distinctive Japanese I heard was from the female cast in Shogun, especially Lady Ochiba, played by Fumi Nikaido.
Are there features of the way they speak Japanese in these roles that make them sound very formal/upper class?
To me, their enunciation seems very clear, like they aren't swallowing syllables much, I think it's called devoicing?
When I learnt Chinese, it was a huge jump to try and understand the language used in the historical drama dialogues in the imperial court settings, I imagine the language is even more different for Japanese?
by Agreeable-Drummer950