43-year-old TV announcer Tomoka Takenaka makes gravure debut
The TV announcer Tomoka Takenaka has surprised fans by branching out into gravure at the age of 43. The former NHK presenter now works for Radio Okinawa.
She announced her sudden pivot from presenting into sexy modeling in September, quickly attracting attention. And the initial photos that have appeared show why she may have plenty of success: she’s been hiding quite a pair under those professional clothes.
The comely jukujo appears in the issue of Weekly Playboy on sale from November 17 and a digital photo book is also available. The shoot was a lot of fun, she recently told listeners to her radio show.
“Listeners, I’m a little worried that you might be surprised. Please don’t be surprised. I’m surprised myself. I’m actually a bit nervous about how everyone will react.”
She continued: “When I saw the cover and saw my name on it, I was a little scared, but at the same time, I thought, this must be a world where young, professional gravure idols are serious about being models. I’m once again grateful to all the Playboy staff who made my shoot such a fun experience.”
There is something of a subgenre in gravure for “respectable” TV announcers branching out into the sexy world of gravure (as opposed to regular fashion modeling, which is more common — see Kasumi Mori, Minami Tanaka, etc.).
Misumi Shiochi has enjoyed a far more successful gravure than presenting career, well into her forties. Akane Takiyama made a successful debut a few years ago, and Anne Nakagawa also did one earlier this year. But the most high-profile announcer gravure foray in 2025 has surely been Nagisa Watanabe, not least because it came in the wake of her rumored role in an abuse scandal at Fuji TV.
In Takenaka’s case, the striking thing is that she waited until her early forties to try this kind of shoot. That said, she has experience with gravure-adjacent shoots, having released two (tame) photo books in the past (2015 and June this year).
