It is sometimes tempting to discard music idols as cookie-cutter enterprises whose ranks are filled with identical-looking young women.
But at least they are flesh and blood. The models of the future may well not be.
Digitally created models or even androids might be the faces of major commercial brands one day. After all, they don't age, nor is there the risk of your brand ambassador landing herself in hot water with a clumsily worded tweet or drugs arrest.
The cosmetics brand Kate has released a 30-second commercial with an innovative lineup of talent: two virtual models (imma and Ria) ...
It was a bit of a shock when Yuka Kuramochi, the top Japanese gravure idol and staple subject matter of this humble blog, announced her marriage to pro gamer Fuudo in later 2019 (after years of secret dating). She went quiet after that and is effectively retired from gravure, instead spending most of her time tweeting about esports and games.
Inevitably, Fuudo did not waste much time in impregnating her -- and who can blame him?
Yuka announced her pregnancy at the end of December and is due in late May.
She recently shared a series of maternity photos on her social media ...
Is the hair nude making a comeback?
Well, the full-frontal nude shoot never went away per se, but it's a rarer species these days. Have gradols become more risk-averse? Where are the mainstream actresses of the 1990s who had big hits with hair nude photo books (like Rie Miyazawa, Miho Kanno, Eri Ishida, or Saki Takaoka)? Many, if not most, such full-frontal shoots these days are published in a weekly tabloid magazine and often as a promo for an upcoming porn debut (like Anri Sakaguchi). The singer KOM_I is a notable, welcome exception to this trend.
But we are pleased to report two new ...
The fashion model and celebrity Marie has stirred up the perennial issue of the casting couch in the Japanese entertainment world.
The 33-year-old, who is half French Canadian and half Japanese, has claimed that she was propositioned when she was 18 by the now-retired comedian Shinsuke Shimada. The encounter is being described as "makura eigyo" (literally, pillow business), the Japanese word for the casting couch. Shimada was then at the height of his fame and the implication no doubt was that sleeping with him would further her own career.
Marie made the allegation on April 4 and then ...
Regular readers will know that, in between all the news and updates about gravure idols and Japanese porn, or trying out new Japanese adult toys, we love to explore aspects of Japanese adult culture like the history of sex and old love hotels.
Showa-era love hotels are truly the best if you want garish colors, kitsch, and cheap gimmicks (revolving beds and so on) instead of the more practical amenities and chic interiors that have become the mainstream today (as nice as those are).
We spotted this selection of fantastic love hotel images on Twitter. Unfortunately, they are not captioned ...
Can you imagine the surprise if a 40-year-old female model were dating a 20-year-old male idol? But the other way round, it's just another day in the urban jungle. Especially if you're a celebrity.
Weekly tabloid Shukan Bunshun has scored a minor scoop with an article claiming that singer You (or Yu) Yokoyama of Kanjani Eight is sleeping with Sumire Yokono of NMB48.
Yokoyama, who is 39, was in Kyoto to perform in a play in early March. After the show was over one day, he returned to his hotel -- where he was soon apparently joined by a young woman.
This lady is, Shukan Bunshun reckons, ...
A new video attracting attention in Japan is an "anti-stalker" voice clips collection for women who live at home.
If they are scared about a visitor, the idea is, they can use these audio clips to pretend a man is at home. This will ostensibly scare off a potential intruder or stalker.
Since it was uploaded to YouTube about a week ago, the video has garnered in excess of 1.1 million views. Hopefully most -- if not all -- of those views were not because the content was actually needed to ward off a stalker.
The video is divided into various male voice audio clips for different scenarios ...
It's a crowded market for minor celebrities and idols, especially if you come from the competitive ranks of AKB48 or its sister groups.
While a few former members have gone on to have major careers -- mostly the original generations of idols -- hundreds of others have faded from view or pursued careers like porn that they perhaps did not expect (but for which we are grateful).
That said, we think this is the first time we've heard of a former idol from the AKB-related groups turning to crime to make ends meet.
Juna Yamada (山田樹奈) was arrested on March 16 in Nagoya for fraud, ...
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is not only the best-selling fighting game of all time. The Nintendo-Bandai crossover game famously includes playable characters from other franchises, and players have recently discovered that Pyra (Homura in Japan) and Mythra (Hikari in Japan) from Xenoblade Chronicles 2 offer some unexpected bonus visuals. Of an adult nature.
Mythra and Pyra were made available for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate in March and now the internet is flooded with images of the two in sexually compromising poses.
Showing off their butts and legs? Of course. But how about these scenarios? ...
Japanese announcers are the ladies to follow if you want intelligence and grace.
Forget the gravure idols and all their busty, curvy charms. Forget the porn stars with their sexual prowess. Forget the music idols and their cute girl-next-door looks.
It's the announcers that everyone really wants to marry. Case in point, the wildly popular Minami Tanaka.
The 37-year-old Yukari Oshima (大島由香里) has now released her first photo book as part of her new stage in her career.
Married to a figure skated from 2016 to 2019 and now a freelance announcer, Oshima already wowed the internet ...
